Rankings and the Identification of Inequities within the Brazilian Federal University System

International and national university ranking exercises have attracted increasing criticism in recent years, as observers question the integrity of the methodologies employed, the influence of rankings on institutional decision making, and ultimately the utility of the exercise. At the same time, fo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inHigher education politics & economics Vol. 7; no. 1; pp. 56 - 72
Main Author Hewitt, W. E
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Higher Education Politics & Economics 2021
Subjects
College Faculty
Criticism
Decision Making
Educational Improvement
Equal Education
Evaluation Criteria
Evaluation Methods
Foreign Countries
Geographic Regions
Institutional Evaluation
Integrity
Reputation
School Choice
Social Differences
Universities
Brazil
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Summary:International and national university ranking exercises have attracted increasing criticism in recent years, as observers question the integrity of the methodologies employed, the influence of rankings on institutional decision making, and ultimately the utility of the exercise. At the same time, for stakeholders "per se" rankings can have beneficial effects, particularly in enhancing institutional recognition, attracting top faculty and researchers, as aids to student choice and decision-making, and stimulating program improvement. Another important effect--which has drawn scant attention in the literature to date--relates to the impact of rankings exercises in exposing unintended quality related inter-institutional anomalies within university ecosystems. In this study, the role of rankings in this regard are examined in the specific case of Brazil, through an investigation of regional inequities in that country's publicly funded federal university network.
ISSN:2577-7270