Drawing on the findings of a survey of academics in eighteen countries across five continents, this book analyzes recent changes in institutional governance and management in higher education and their impact on the academy and academic work.

This ground-breaking and exhaustive analysis of university ranking surveys scrutinizes their theoretical bases, methodological issues, societal impact, and policy implications, providing readers with a deep understanding of these controversial comparators. The authors propose that university rankings are misused by policymakers and institutional leaders alike. They assert that these interested parties overlook the highly problematic internal logic of ranking methodologies even as they obsess over the surveys assessment of their status. The result is that institutions suffer from...