Institutional Legitimacy Under Strain: The Influence of Academic Brain Drain on Organizational Capacity in Afghan Public Universities

Abstract

The continuing migration of qualified university teachers from Afghanistan’s public universities after 2021 has created a serious challenge for institutional legitimacy and educational quality. This qualitative study explores how academic brain drain affects the organizational capacity, governance, and legitimacy of higher education institutions in Afghanistan. Drawing upon neo-institutional theory, the study interprets how coercive pressures, weakened governance, and loss of professional credibility shape universities’ struggles to maintain functionality under resource scarcity. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 12 participants, including university leaders and faculty members from five major public universities across Afghanistan. Using reflexive thematic analysis, three major themes emerged as Loss of institutional legitimacy and credibility, Administrative dysfunction and structural weakness, and Collapse of mentorship and research culture. The findings reveal that brain drain is not only a shortage of human resources but an institutional crisis that undermines universities’ social trust and governance. The study concludes that restoring legitimacy requires transparent management, renewed academic freedom, and structured engagement with the Afghan academic diaspora.