Rankings seduce and coerce at the same time

Nowadays all universities are aware of the importance of rankings, as “rankings have created a storm which has blown around the world” (Hazelkorn, 2011, p. 202). Have you ever thought why there is growing obsession with university rankings and its impacts? Then, my recommendation is to read the article, written by international expert advisor, Barbara Kehm. A credit must be given to the author for scrupulous investigation of the history (used to be statistical report, reputation survey of graduate programs), various initial goals (academic exercise, annual publication of statistics and classification) and types of performers and institutions of ranking (individual active academics, bureau of education, news reports).  The author’s aim is to enable the readers to fathom the essence of ranking and gain deeper understanding of what it is (assessment, differentiation?) whom for (institutional leaders, national/transnational policy makers, consumers?). Moreover, she questions whether it truly relates to what it is.  Further Kehm gives a mounting evidence of that there is NO ‘objective ranking’ (Kehm, 2014, p. 103). Her findings are the most revealing in judgments about the methodology, indicators, subject of ranking and validity of data produced.

The impacts and side effects of rankings are given in three perspectives by the author: the impacts on European higher education landscape, on national level and on the level of HEIs. In the European context, the global rankings have contributed to the construction of a policy problem of European higher education. As we can see, the core of this problem is the poor ranking of European universities in the global rankings. The rapid growth of American and Asian universities, both public and private, is now also challenging Europe. That is why as a response European Commission funded initiative led to a U-Multirank tool.

At national level, rankings draw great attention to HE policy making. Marginson highlights that ranking seen as “symbol of national achievement” (as cited in Kehm, 2014, p. 107).  The bottom line is that the global university rankings have created a policy concern over European higher education in terms of economic globalization. Copying institutional models from one context (or one system) to another may indeed give birth to unintended consequences. Based on the university rankings, autonomy has been identified as an attribute for success.

The author contends that her analysis, together with conceptual and argumentative analyses by other researchers such as, Hazelkorn, Marginson and Clarke are not enough to change the dominating higher education discourse or persuade political actors, but it helps to diagnose fallacies and misunderstandings and expose new questions in need of further empirical research.

References

Hazelkorn, E. (2011). Rankings and the reshaping of higher education: The battle for world-class excellence. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Kehm, B.M. (2014) Global University Rankings – Impacts and Unintended Side Effects. European Journal of Education, 49 (1), 102-112.