Strategic response or gaming the rankings? Unravelling the strategies behind global university rankings manipulation in the higher education context of Kazakhstan

Abstract

Amidst the growing influence of global university rankings (GURs) in higher education (HE), unequal competition, and resource scarcity, universities increasingly resort to manipulative tactics to improve their ranking positions. However, little is known about how such gaming strategies unfold in post-Soviet countries such as Kazakhstan. Based on interviews with 17 participants, this study reveals how academics and higher education institutions (HEIs) in Kazakhstan commonly use gaming techniques to project research productivity and enhance their standing in GURs. The findings stress the enduring influence of GURs in shaping academic behavior and institutional strategies in Kazakhstan and reveal three prevalent gaming techniques: gift authorship, publishing in predatory journals, and exploiting methodological limitations of GURs. The findings indicate that participation in GURs has catalyzed research misconduct in Kazakhstan, raising critical concerns about the unintended consequences of ranking-driven competition. Furthermore, the study reveals that such institutional responses in Kazakhstan reflect the post-Soviet legacy of top-down governance and compliance with state-imposed mandates rather than autonomous strategic decision-making, challenging key assumptions of Global North-based organizational theories. These findings resonate with broader global concerns about the integrity and reliability of GURs, emphasizing the need for stakeholders to address the underlying motivations for manipulative practices.