Rankings and global knowledge governance: higher education, innovation and competitiveness

Abstract

Higher education and innovation policies are today seen as central elements in national economic competitiveness, increasingly measured by global rankings. The book analyses the evolution of indicator-based global knowledge governance, where various national attributes have been evaluated under international comparative assessment. Reflecting this general trend, the Shanghai ranking, first published in 2003, has pressured governments and universities all over the world to improve their performance in global competition. More recently, as global rankings have met criticism for their methodology and scope, measurements of various sizes and shapes have proliferated: some celebrating novel methodological solutions, others breaking new conceptual grounds. This book takes a fresh look at developments in the field of knowledge governance by showing how emerging indicators, innovation indexes and subnational comparisons are woven into the existing fabric of measurements that govern our ideas of higher education, innovation and competitiveness. This book argues that while rankings are becoming more numerous and fragmented, the new knowledge products, nevertheless, tend to reproduce ideas and practices existing in the field of global measurement. Intro; Preface; Contents; List of Figures; List of Tables; 1: Introduction; Outline of the Book; References; 2: Theory: Rankings as Policy Instruments; Introduction; Numbers, Quantification, and Ranking; Numbers as Policy Instruments: Objectification, (De)politicization, Subjectification, and Legitimation; Objectification; (De)politicization; Subjectification; Legitimation; Global Policy Script and Field Development in Measurement; Institutional Effects of Global Rankings and Indicators; Field Structuration in Global Measurement; Summary; References 3: Ideational Background of Global Knowledge GovernanceIntroduction; Evidence-Based Policymaking and the Globalization of Numeric Knowledge; Knowledge-Based Economy; Competitiveness; Good Governance and Transparency; Innovation; World-Class University; Conclusions; References; 4: Rise of Global Rankings and the Competitive Logic; Introduction; Conceptualization, Measurement, and Aggregation; â#x80;#x9C;Goodâ#x80;#x9D; Governance Indicators; Ranking Economic Competitiveness; Global University Rankings; Rankings and Ideational Shifts in European Higher Education Competition, Higher Education, and University RankingsAutonomy and Accountability; Conclusion; References; 5: Field Structuration and Fragmentation of Global Rankings; Introduction; Field Structuration in Global Ranking; Methodological Critique of Ranking and Shift Toward Second-Generation Indicators; Measurements of Good Governance and Transparency; University Rankings; Competitiveness Indicators; Global Innovation Indicators; Conclusions; References; 6: From Global to Local: Regional- and City-Level Alternatives to Global Rankings; Introduction Ranking Competitiveness and Innovation of Cities and RegionsEntering the Field of Measurement; Measuring Knowledge, Competitiveness, and Innovation: Conceptualization and Concerns Over Data and Methodology; Methodological Critique; Regional Alternatives for Global University Rankings; Conclusions; References; 7: Rankings and Global Knowledge Governance; Introduction; Field Development in Global Measurement; Global Knowledge Governance: Policy Script and Political Imaginaries; Surrounded by Numbers; References; Index