Abstract

GARCIA DE FANELLI, Ana  and  PITA CARRANZA, María. The Rankings and their Use in University Governance. Rev. iberoam. cienc. tecnol. soc. [online]. 2018, vol.13, n.37, pp.95-112. ISSN 1850-0013.

Rankings; ensino superior; Governança universitária; Políticas públicas In spite of the overwhelming criticism that has been leveled against the university rankings by academics and university authorities from different countries, mainly due to the reductionism of the methodology used, centered on a single model of an elite research university, their impact on the governance of higher education institutions is increasingly important. In this article we analyze how, according to international experience, rankings influence university governance, affecting the decision-making process of its internal and external parties. Firstly, the main rankings are used by international students, especially those with greater financial and cultural capital, as a mechanism to confirm the choice made when they decide where to pursue their postgraduate courses. Secondly, they are used by governments to allocate scholarship funds for studies abroad and in the selection of a few institutions in order to establish them as “world class universities”. And finally, the structure of the institutions’ internal governance uses the rankings in the development of their strategic plans and in their benchmarking, analyzing how they can better compete for students and the financing of their countries and on the international stage

Keywords : Rankings; Higher education; University governance; Public policies.

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