Mapping Diversity: Developing a European Classification of ... - U-Map

While rankings are criticized for their conceptual and methodological problems and for their potentially
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dysfunctional effects, they are nevertheless seen as ‘here to stay’. The challenge therefore is to offer
constructive contributions to the process of improving the quality and effectiveness of rankings. This
is one of the intentions of this project.
2.1.3 Classifications
‘A classifi cation is a spatial, temporal or spatio-temporal segmentation of the world’ (Bowker and
Star 2000, p.10). Or in simpler terms it is ‘… the general process of grouping entities by similarity’
(Bailey 1994, p.4).
In the literature on classifi cations, a number of related terms are used, sometimes interchangeably,
which can lead to confusion. In order to be explicit about the concepts used in this project we
provide a short resumé of the relevant terms.
A classifi cation should be distinguished from a typology. A typology is a conceptual classifi cation.
A classifi cation orders empirical cases while a typology addresses conceptual entities. The cells in
a typology represent concepts rather than empirical cases. These concepts are generally defi ned
in a monothetic way: they comprise entities that are all identical on all variables or dimensions
measured.
A taxonomy is a special case of classifi cation with the main difference being that each cell (taxon)
comprises an empirical case. This term is generally used in biological sciences.
In this project we are building a classifi cation: we develop a set of grouping criteria and use it to group
empirical cases (in our case: higher education institutions). Classifi cations can be unidimensional
or multi-dimensional. In this project a multi-dimensional classifi cation is aimed for.
Generally speaking, classifi cations help to describe a fi eld. They may contribute to the reduction of
complexity and to increasing transparency. In addition they may be used to identify similarities and
differences between entities. A classifi cation is also an instrument for information and communication.
It intends to assist stakeholders in their decisions and actions.
MAPPING DIVERSITY
As is the case with rankings, in classifi cations the selection of the entities to be classifi ed and
particularly of the ‘grouping criteria’ to categorize these entities are crucial decisions. Building a
classifi cation should therefore be a user-oriented process. The most crucial aspect of a classifi cation
is to determine who the potential or intended users (stakeholders) are and what they want to use
the classifi cation for.
Classifying entities is a process that consists of a number of steps. The fi rst one is to identify the
entities to be classifi ed. The user-oriented perspective provides suffi cient guidance here.
Once the entities for the classifi cation have been identifi ed the second step can be taken: the
defi nition of relevant and adequate grouping criteria. The choice of the dimensions (as we shall call
the grouping criteria or key characteristics from now on) should allow the users of the classifi cation
to group the entities the way they want. The more dimensions are selected the more the entities can
be grouped and described in detailed and different ways. Here again, the user-oriented perspective
is crucial. Only when the relevant stakeholders are able to contribute to the selection and defi nition
of dimensions can relevant classifi cations be produced.
The fi nal step is to identify how the entities score on the different dimensions. During this step the
entities are allocated to the cells of the classifi cation on the basis of empirical information.