International University Rankings and Conflicts Regarding the Regulation of Higher Education

Abstract

The international university rankings are a controversial issue that has increasing consequences for and reach in society at large. While the questions increase regarding the effective capabilities of this instrument to value the quality of education and the methodology applied, they are presented, above all in the debate promoted by communication media, as rigorous and objective sources for evaluating the quality of universities. However, the consultancy firms that market them are generally linked to the large international publishers that dominate the academic journals’ market. Powerful commercial interests exist behind the evaluation systems related to the control of “refereed” journals and their effects. Concurrently with the growth of their legitimacy and prestige before society, issues arise with other parties due to the coordination of higher education, in particular with the universities affected, the States that try to promote effective mechanisms to improve quality and also the markets that the university graduates will join and that seek different areas of competency to those promoted by the editorial market, which is solely interested in publishing papers. Because of these reasons, it is doubtful that rankings contribute to effectively value the quality of the universities, nor are their actions neutral, given that, as their encroachment increases, they can promote biases and distortions in the processes and practices developed by the universities.