University Rankings, Diversity, and the New ... - Sense Publishers

FEDERKEIL
41%
40%
percent of cases
30%
22%
25%
20%
13%
10%
< 5 6 - 10 11 - 20 > 20
differences in rank positions 2004 - 2005
Figure 5. THES ranking – changes in rank position 2004–2005
REPUTATION AND (RESEARCH) PERFORMANCE
Since their beginnings, reputation indicators have been criticised for their lack of
objectivity and validity. Conceptually, reputation is not linked to performance; the
relationship between the notion of reputation and performance can be seen as
contingent. Cave et al. (1997, p. 173) report that there can be large and dramatic
differences between reputation indicators and ratings based on objective measurements
of productivity. Due to the fact that reputation refers to the perception of –
past – performance by people ascribing reputation, there might be universities that
are overestimated as well as underestimated with regard to their actual performance.
A survey of reputation studies in the United States concluded “that reputational
scores demonstrate a high overall consistency with other program measures”
(Brooks 2005, p. 7).
CHE ranking data show that there are quite considerable correlations between
performance indicators and reputation. But the size of the correlation varies
between disciplines: for example, the correlations in Sociology are weaker than
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