University Rankings

This book adopts a qualitative case study approach to provide the readers with a systematic delineation and interpretation of the implications of the university ranking phenomenon for Taiwan's higher education system. It reviews the literature on different theories concerning the global transformation of higher education and presents basic information on higher education in Taiwan. The author develops a four-dimensional framework for the analysis of the ranking phenomenon in the island-state. First, the technological/ecological dimension aims to look into how the rankings have impacted Taiwan's higher education based on empirical findings from five Taiwanese public universities. Next, the technological/geographical dimension examines how Taiwan can use rankings to promote its interests in global higher education. The two conceptual dimensions focus on the relationship between the rankings and power in higher education. They show how the phenomenon can be read and explained through theoretical lenses from ecological and geographical perspectives. From an ecological perspective, the empirical evidence suggests that the influence of rankings varies throughout the academic hierarchy in Taiwan. The theoretical analysis then illustrates the relationship between the ranking phenomenon and the power structure in academic hierarchy. Geographically, while the empirical analysis is based on data from Taiwan, the theoretical analysis offers essential insights that help readers to understand the changing global landscape of higher education and its implications in East Asia.

William Yat Wai Lo is Assistant Professor in the Department of International Education and Lifelong Learning, The Hong Kong Institute of Education. He received his PhD from University of Bristol, and has worked as a researcher in Hong Kong and Britain. His main research interests include education policies and reforms in East Asia, and the impacts of globalization on education. His current research focuses on the implications of global university rankings for higher education. His publications have appeared in Higher Education Policy (Palgrave Macmillan), Globalisation, Societies and Education (Routledge), Comparative Education (Routledge), Compare (Routledge), Higher Education (Springer) and Asia Pacific Journal of Education (Routledge). He also serves as the General Secretary of the Hong Kong Educational Research Association.