Recent developments in rankings: implications for developing countries

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Recent developments in rankings implications
for developing countries?

• Jamil Salmi
• The World Bank
• IREG-3
• Shanghai, 29-30 October 2007

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The rankings business
A ranking of league tables September 10, 2005
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(No Transcript)
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Gordons Browns disastrous retreat How do
super-jumbo changes air travel Meet Fred
Thompson Has commercial property peaked? Liu Nian
Cai , the man and the myth
Rankers, Beware
League tables under scrutiny
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outline of the presentation

• status of rankings
• new directions in accountability
• prospects for ranking

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who prepares the rankings?

• A government agency (Ministry of Higher
  Education, Higher Education Commission,
  University Grants Council, etc.)
• B independent organization / professional
  association / university
• C newspaper / magazine / media
• D accreditation agency
• I International ranking (IA, IB, IC and ID
  linking the international dimension to the type
  of institution conducting the ranking)

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ranking systems in 2006

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ranking systems in 2007

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trends

• more rankings
• except Africa and Middle East
• who does the rankings?
• less from the press
• more from independent think tanks or governments
• accepted in growing number of countries
• voluntary participation
• Austrians, Swiss, Flemish

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outline of the presentation

• status of rankings
• new directions in accountability

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what does accountability mean?

• information
• achievement of results
• sanctions

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trends in accountability

• multiple stakeholders
• multiple themes
• multiple instruments

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multiple stakeholders

• government(s)
• employers
• society at large
• professors
• students

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multiple themes

• access
• equity
• quality
• relevance
• efficiency
• sustainability
• nation-building / values

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multiple instruments

• licensing
• evaluation / accreditation
• performance-based funding
• rankings
• assessment of learning outcomes

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measurement of outcomes

• From inputs to competencies
• Bologna process
• ABET
• Spellings Commission
• no graduates left behind
• OECD / PISA for tertiary education
• World Bank benchmarking tool

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country experiences

• Australia
• Brazil
• Canada
• Colombia
• Jordan
• Korea
• Mexico
• UK
• USA

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outline of the presentation

• status of rankings
• new directions in accountability
• prospects for ranking

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usefulness of rankings?

• for the public?
• for the institutions?
• for the Government?

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usefulness of rankings for individuals

• choice based on information

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usefulness of rankings for institutions

• benchmarking and self-evaluation
• counter-rankings (Paris)
• voluntary accountability framework (USA)

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from the viewpoint of institutions

• sensitive to factors that affect their rankings
  (benchmarking)
• goal setting for strategic planning purposes
• forming strategic partnerships
• mergers

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usefulness of rankings for governments

• rapid QA assessment in lieu of accreditation
• international benchmarking
• national benchmarking
• culture of competition

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government use of rankings

• Pakistan case
• promoting a culture of accurate and transparent
  information
• promoting a culture of quality

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new challenges

• multiplicity of institutions (and joint programs)
• multiplicity of missions
• blurring of boundaries between disciplines
• emerging disciplines
• new delivery modes

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conclusion divisive or helpful?
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For sale charming and peaceful residence away
from neighbors, with a wonderful view of the sea,
a grand period staircase, and lots and lots of
light
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For sale charming and peaceful residence away
from neighbors, with a wonderful view of the sea,
a grand period staircase, and lots and lots of
light
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Bordeauxthe wine producers suing the wine rankers
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divisive or helpful?

• rankings are here to stay
• useful for prospective students
• useful in the absence of an established
  evaluation and/or accreditation system
• useful for benchmarking, goal-setting and
  self-improvement purposes
• useful to conduct a healthy debate on issues and
  challenges
• useful to promote a culture of accountability

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linking rankings and funding?

• Arizona State
• RAE (UK, Hong Kong, NZ, Australia)
• Nigeria (based on ranking done by Accreditation
  Commission)
• performance premium for academics publishing in
  journals included in Shanghai ranking (Norway,
  Australia)
• donors and home ministries making scholarship
  decisions
• corporate donors
• strengthening the strong and weakening the weak

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principles of appropriate ranking instruments

• compare similar institutions
• focus on program rather than on entire
  institution
• rank by indicator rather than wholesale
• outcomes/outputs/results rather than inputs
• better if used for self-improvement purposes
• make results publicly available