Global Rankings and the Geopolitics of Higher Education ─ Understanding the influence and impact of rankings on higher education, policy and society

Global rankings and the Geopolitics of Higher Education is an examination of the impact and influence that university rankings have had on higher education, policy and public opinion in recent years. Bringing together some of the most informed authorities on this very complex issue, this edited collection of specially commissioned chapters examines the changes affecting higher education and the implications for society and the economy.

Split into four interrelated sections, this book covers:

• The development of rankings in higher education, how they have impacted upon both the production of knowledge and its geography, and their influence in shaping policymaking.
• Overviews of the significance of rankings for higher education systems in Europe, Asia, Africa, Russia, South America, India and North America.
• An analysis of rankings in relation to key concerns that pervade contemporary higher education.
• Examination of the role rankings are likely to play in the future directions for higher education.

This is a significant scholarly work that analyses in depth an important development in higher education systems, and which is likely to have an important influence upon how we understand the higher education policy-making process – past, present and future. It provides new analysis and conceptual understanding for researchers, and firm evidence for policy makers to use when addressing the value of rankings in measuring the quality of their institutions. Besides bringing together a powerful cast of academics, this book incorporates contributions from heads of important international higher education organisations – from both those involved in making and also in administering key decisions.

This timely, reflective and accessible book forms crucial reading for those studying the subject of rankings, as well as the broader implications and unintended consequences of rankings on national higher education policies. Extending beyond academic researchers and students, this book will also be of significant interest to policymakers, higher education leaders and key stakeholders.

Professor Ellen Hazelkorn holds a joint appointment as a Director of the Higher Education Policy Research Unit (HEPRU), Dublin Institute of Technology and is Policy Advisor to the Higher Education Authority (HEA).