Tag: womensrights

Rankings Have No Deep Impact

It is increasingly difficult to take the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings seriously but the tone-deafness, doublethink, obfuscation and self-delusion becomes ever more extraordinary.  The only blot on the comedic value of the Rankings is that they continue to highlight Russia and Afghanistan universities – one group in a country in thrall to a leader whose war has killed tens of thousands and the other in a country where women cannot enrol in higher education.  There seems no way in which the SDGs were intended to be used to provide publicity and credibility for countries deliberately applying policies decried by the United Nations. 

Same Old, Same Old

We are told that the “The Impact Rankings are inherently dynamic…we expect and welcome regular change in the ranked order of institutions (and we discourage year-on-year comparisons)…”.  Unfortunately, the THE corporate communications department didn’t read the memo because they announced, “Western Sydney University claims the Impact title for the second year running with a near-perfect score” – which sounds rather like a year on year comparison.  Further diminishing the sense of dynamism is that eight of the top twelve are the same as last year.

Five of the 2023 top twelve have been in the top twelve since 2020.  It would probably be higher but Kings College, University of Leeds and University of Sydney, who were in the top twelve in 2020, have all dropped out of the table completely.  There seems to be the possibility that some of the very best universities with strong SDG credentials are ignoring the Impact Rankings because they recognize the inherent weaknesses. 

It should not be surprising that universities who choose to be part of this manipulable process are able to enhance their performance.  Universities are full of administrators and academics who are good at passing exams so shame on Newcastle University and Hakkaido University for falling from eight and ten last year to 24 and 22 in 2023.  Perhaps a new ranking should be based on calling out institutions that cannot maintain or improve their position on a yearly basis.

It is slightly bemusing that King AbdulAziz University was a non-runner in 2023 after being in fourth place the year before.  Is it possible that they could not find any researchers willing to sign over a sufficient number of citations or maybe the failure to come top was too much to bear?  A related anomaly is that it features rankings from AWRU, QS and US News World Report on its International Rankings page but nothing from THE.

Living In the Past

As previously noted, the data in the rankings is based on 2021, the era before ChatGPT, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the implosion of Boris Johnson’s premiership.  Unfortunately, this means that any student relying on the rankings to make judgements about institutions is going to be sadly misled.  Not that this matters to the way THE and their enablers like Study Portals use rankings to monetize student eyeballs.

The most egregious example of the Impact Rankings failure to keep up to date is the increase in the number of Afghanistan universities in the Impact Rankings.  Going from two to three listed entrants is bad enough after a year in which they have followed their government’s edict to prevent women going to university.  Two of the three have scores under SDG 5, which is specifically about Gender Equality and the aim to “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls”, while to add insult to grievous injury their score in that category is better than hundreds of other institutions.

It seems extraordinary that nobody at the THE was paying sufficient attention to understand the condemnation of the world at the exclusion of women from education in Afghanistan.  As noted in previous blogs it might be reasonable to think that the lack of women in the board ranks of THE and its owners contributes to this indifference.  It is, however, very difficult to think of a good excuse for the Advisory Board which one might hope has some members with a broader perspective on justice, equity and decency.

From Glasnost to Skrytnost

It was all the rage to celebrate glasnost and perestroika in the 1980s but openness and restructuring in Russia have long given way to autocratic rule and whim.  Maybe that’s why the THE’s treats some Russian university scores in the spirit of what the Washington Post termed “skrytnost: – derived from the Russian verb skryt meaning “to conceal”.   It is unacceptable for a ranking that trumpets its supposed transparency to offer no explanation for blanking Russian university scores for SDG 16, Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.

It must be bad enough for the compilers that Russian universities continue to be the single largest number of entrants to the Impact Rankings but totally infuriating that many choose to be scored on their support of the very virtues that the country currently seems to lack.  Unfortunately, the THE seem to accept whatever is submitted, adds it to the total, then blanks it out as if it was some secret.  There is no explanation in the methodology which only reminds everyone that the scoring itself is a matter of, um, autocratic rule and whim.

The continued presence of Russian universities in the league tables and the way they are publicized as study destinations by THE Student is another reminder that the entire premise of the tables is to commercialize data and sell consultancy rather than enrich the sector.  While the Ukranians are on a counter-offensive to remove the aggressors from their lands the Impact Rankings celebrate universities whose Rectors publicly endorsed Putin’s war.  If their decision was based on a quick Russian victory it is time to reconsider.

Reputation Bust?

For all the noise from those going up in the Impact Rankings an analysis shows that only three of the top 12 institutions (Manchester, Arizona State and Alberta) feature in the THE’s own World Reputation Rankings.  This might suggest that academics see the Impact Rankings as a refuge for those who feel the need to please their governing bodies but not as a genuine marker of global quality.  It’s a bit like football fans getting excited when their team wins the Europa Conference League while those supporting serial contenders for the Champions League are not so easily impressed1.

Nobody expects the THE to give up on its money-go-round of league tables any time soon but it is remarkable that after five years most universities have declined to spend the time, effort or money to engage in the Impact Rankings.  One might argue this is because they recognize the dangers of being involved in a competition that is easily rigged and where the referees might just be willing to tip the scales a different way to create a headline.  The evidence suggests that absence does not impact the credibility of absentees at all.

Notes

1.            For those who do not follow European football, the Europa Conference League is the third tier of European competition after the Champions League and Europa League.  With apologies to West Ham United fans I would say it has much in common with any other conference – you go not knowing anything about the people you’ll meet, you end up in many dreary rooms discussing irrelevant things and you return to a pile of work.  Football fans will know that in that sentence you can replace “people” with teams, “rooms” with stadiums and “pile of work” with relegation trouble.  If you’re lucky you get a certificate of attendance (known as the Europa Conference League trophy).   

Image by WikiImages from Pixabay

“Speak Because You Can”…Act Because You Should

News that the Taliban have “..banned women from universities in Afghanistan” has been condemned by the UN Security Council and many other countries.  US Secretary of State, Antony J. Blinken said, “The Taliban cannot expect to be a legitimate member of the international community until they respect the rights of all in Afghanistan.”  We wait to see whether the board of Times Higher Education (THE) makes a statement1 or chooses to impose any prohibition on Afghan universities in its rankings.

It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World2

Bologna Topco Ltd, the parent company of THE World Universities Insights Ltd, Data HE Ltd, The Knowledge Partnership and BMI Global Ed Ltd does not have a single female director.  This lack of diversity was noted as far back as May 2021 following a presentation by owners Inflexion Private Equity but nearly two years later it’s the same names and faces in charge.  Any action could come down to whether two men who have quietly become among the most powerful and influential in higher education think there is a duty to stand up for the rights of women.

THE World Universities Insights Ltd is the parent company’s main trading entity and has two directors – Paul Howarth and Paul Ransley (who also sit as directors on Bologna Topco).  Since 2020 it has been the vehicle for purchasing data analytics company dataHE, student recruitment event operator BMI Global Ed, HE consultancy The Knowledge Partnership – with each company purchased having the same two directors.  Adding the purchase of InsideHE in early 2022 has, arguably, given Howarth and Ransley unprecedented power to form opinion and control data in global higher education3.

Some will claim there is editorial independence but Howarth’s statement about a response to the “invasion of Ukraine by Russia” shows the symbiotic link between the rankings, the news outlet and the other businesses.  InsideHE has run two THE led opinion pieces (28 April and 12 October) on rankings since being acquired earlier this year which might suggest the penumbra of Rupert Murdoch style influence.  It’s an intricate web so it is appropriate to suggest that, “with great power comes great responsibility” and the THE should both speak up and act.         

What’s Up?4

The THE methodology clearly “reserves the right to exclude universities that ….are no longer in good standing.”  Regrettably, decision makers at THE obviously do not think that Russian institutions explicitly supporting a brutal, rapacious, illegal attack on a neighbouring country is grounds for losing “good standing”.  One might hope that the complete exclusion of women from higher education presents good grounds for immediate action.

While no Afghan universities have made it to the World University Rankings 2023 the Impact Rankings provide fertile ground for manipulation as institutions can choose which of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to focus on.  Bakhtar University and Kabul Polytechnic University rank with around 650 other universities on a ranking of 1001+ in the most recent Impact Rankings with other Afghan universities featuring in 2020 and 2021.  One of the four scoring categories for Bakhtar University is the individual SDG measure 5 – Gender Equality, which the THE notes, “SDG itself phrases…explicitly as supporting women”.

The need for an intentional and purposeful ban is urgent because the data used in compiling the rankings are substantially self-selected by the institution and up to two years out of date.  For example, the April 2022 Impact Rankings were, at best, using data from December 2020 but it may have come from January 2019.  Universities also choose which three SDGs to provide information for (with only SDG 17 obligatory) which is probably why no Russian universities chose SDG 16 – Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions for their 2022 entries.

Laugh It Off5

We may be best not to hold our breath on the THE standing up for women’s rights.  One part of the reasoning from Paul Howarth, chief executive, not to exclude Russian universities from THE rankings was that, “we would expect Russian universities’ performance to be impacted negatively by the actions of the Russian government.”  Those who understand the ranking considered that statement to be dubious, detached and likely ill-founded at the time and they have been proved correct.

More Russian universities were featured in the latest THE World Rankings 2023 (103) than the equivalent for 2022 (100) with more in the top 800 (14) than the year before (12).  While the top university, Lomonosov State University dropped by five places the chart below shows that year on year it did much better than several non-Russian institutions with similar ranking in 2022.  The overall volatility shows the complete nonsense of the university rankings but also the vacuousness of the chief executive’s stated expectation.

University THE World Ranking 2022THE World Ranking 2023Year on Year Rise(+)/Decline(-)
Wuhan157173-16
Aberdeen158192-34
Colorado Boulder158148+10
Lomonosov158163-5
Catholique de Louvain162170-8
Durham162198-36
Ottawa162137+25
SUSTech162166-4

The publicity value for Russia is even greater in the THE Impact Rankings where the number of Russian universities listed increased by 25.3% from 75 in 2021 to 94 in 2022.  In the latest THE Reputation Rankings the number of Russian university also increased, year on year, from five to six with the top ranked institution rising from 38 to 35.  By any objective measure the THE Rankings appears to continue to reward Russian universities and the Russian government that supports them as a tool for credibility and prestige.

Which Side Are You On?6

University ranking businesses like THE and QS World University Rankings and service providers like Study Portals seem willing to continue promoting universities that accept or even actively support repressive regimes.  While other commercial businesses have taken direct financial hits from withdrawing their involvement in Russia the rankers and recruiters continue to promote them even at the possible expense of students being drawn into the armed conflict.  The rankers may prefer to prevaricate or to ignore Russia’s actions but drawing a line in the sand over something as fundamental as women being allowed to study in higher education should be a simple decision. 

Notes

The home page of the viewfromabridge blog includes a quote from a DACA recipient.  The full quote is, “Speak because it’s your life, speak because you can”, which should remind everyone who has the freedom to comment that they should speak up for those who are repressed, endangered or unable to represent themselves.  If you have the power you should also take action on their behalf.

The sub-headings are all titles from songs written wholly or mainly by women.  

  1. As far as I can find in a search the Times Higher Education has published one news item by Pola Lem on this issue (21 December).  No Opinion Piece has been published or statement made by the organization.
  2. Betty Jean Newsome was co-writer of this song, made famous by co-writer James Brown, and is credited with the lyrics by most sources.  For all the macho posturing it’s worth listening to the end of the song “He’s lost in the wilderness, He’s lost in bitterness, he’s lost lost”
  3. In addition to the direct control listed Times Higher Education has partnerships with companies including Study Portals (student aggregator), SI-UK (student recruiter), Liberika (student aggregator) and Casita (student accommodation provider).  A previous blog has noted the role of Study Portals in encouraging students visiting THE Student to apply to universities in Russia.
  4. Performed by 4 Non Blondes and written by lead singer, Linda Perry.  On the backstorysong.com  podcast she comments on the song, “It’s like, ‘Why does it always seem like either I’m struggling, or there’s some f–king political mess happening? Why is this all happening in the world?’’  Under some circumstances who wouldn’t “pray every single day, for revolution”?
  5. Laugh It Off is by Russian feminist protest and performance art group Pussy Riot.  It is reported   that Pussy Riot are currently touring Europe and demonstrating solidarity with Ukraine.  Readers will make up their own mind about the group’s philosophy, tactics and messages but it is difficult to disregard their commitment and their bravery in challenging a “political system that uses its power against basic human rights.”
  6. “Which Side Are You On?” is always a good question.  The song was written in the 1930s by Florence Reece in response to intimidation by the Harlan County Coal Operators’ Association and the sheriff’s department, led by Sheriff J.H. Blair, who acted as its enforcers. Sometimes you have to make a choice.

Image by Dimitris Vetsikas from Pixabay

The image is of a statue in Parliament Square, London, which honours the British suffragist leader and social campaigner, Dame Millicent Fawcett. The statue, erected in 2018, was Parliament Square’s first monument to a woman and also its first sculpture by a woman.