Higher Education Ranking and Leagues Tables: Lessons Learned from Benchmarking

Abstract

The paper intends to contribute to the debate on ranking and league tables by adopting a critical approach to ranking methodologies from the point of view of a university benchmarking exercise. The absence of a strict benchmarking exercise in the ranking process has been, in the opinion of the author, one of the major problems encountered in the ranking systems and procedures at all levels, regional, national and international. The benchmarking exercise of ten Canadian research intensive universities at the departmental level should contribute to a re‐examination of the typology of the world class ranking systems and suggest reconstruction paths on several major issues.

Notes

1. ‘Group of Ten’

2. The UNESCO Declaration on Cultural Diversity (2001) leaves no doubt as to the challenges of clearly articulating in a global society world‐class universities and cultural diversity.

3. The THES World University Ranking (2005) has explored a ranking exercise according to disciplinary fields. It is based on «peer review» only.

4. Publication data were not included among the variables retained by the Canadian university benchmarking exercise for two reasons. The data of the different publication indexes had not only to be cleaned, matched, harmonized and coordinated before being used, but also be assigned at the departmental level, which was impossible to the Thomson Scientific Essential Sciency Indicators (ESI). The mandate to follow up on the two problems was given by the G10 to the Observatoire des Sciences et des Technologies (OST). Given the strong relationship between the amount of money invested in research and publications in universities and hospitals (Gingras, 1996), the benchmarking exercise could rely momentarily on departmental research expenditures data as valid indicators.