University Rankings

While university ranking surveys are widely used in policy and academic discussions, this is the first book to explore the theoretical and methodological issues of ranking itself. It is a much-needed reality check on the many problems inherent in the surveys.

This ground-breaking and exhaustive analysis of university ranking surveys scrutinizes their theoretical bases, methodological issues, societal impact, and policy implications, providing readers with a deep understanding of these controversial comparators. The authors propose that university rankings are misused by policymakers and institutional leaders alike. They assert that these interested parties overlook the highly problematic internal logic of ranking methodologies even as they obsess over the surveys’ assessment of their status. The result is that institutions suffer from short-termism, realigning their resources to maximize their relative rankings. While rankings are widely used in policy and academic discussions, this is the first book to explore the theoretical and methodological issues of ranking itself. It is a welcome contribution to an often highly charged debate. Far from showing how to manipulate the system, this collection of work by key researchers aims to enlighten interested parties.

Preface.- Contributors.- 1. The Past, Present, and Future of University Rankings; Jung Cheol SHIN and Robert K. TOUTKOUSHIAN.- PART A. Organizational Effectiveness, Quality, and Rankings.- 2. Organizational Effectiveness and University Rankings; Jung Cheol SHIN.- 3.  Competitors of Rankings: New Directions in Quality Assurance and Accountability; Grant HARMAN.- 4. The Social Contexts and Systemic Consequence of University Rankings: A Meta-Analysis of the Ranking Literature; Ulrich TEICHLER.- PART B. Methodological Issues of University Rankings.- 5. Methodological Issues: Indicators and Weights; Bernard LONGDEN.- 6.  Measures of Faculty Productivity; Karen WEBBER.- 7. Issues in Measuring the Research Performance of Postsecondary Institutions; RobertK. TOUTKOUSHIAN and Karen WEBBER.- 8.  Peer Review and Bibliometric Indicators: Potentials and Problems; Lutz BORNMANN.- 9.  Measuring Teaching Performance; Keith TRIGWELL.- PART C. Social Impacts of University Rankings.- 10. On the Efficacy of Raising Your University’s Rankings; Christopher MORPHEW and Christopher SWANSON.- 11. The Institutionalization of Rankings: Managing Status Anxiety in an Increasingly Marketized Environment; William LOCKE.- 12. Reaction to Academic Ranking: Knowledge Production, Faculty Productivity from an International Perspective; Akira ARIMOTO.- 13: The Future ofUniversity Rankings; Ulrich TEICHLER.- Index.