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

downward mobility. A diversifi ed system allows for corrections of errors of choice; it provides
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extra opportunities for success; it rectifi es poor motivations; and it broadens educational
horizons.
• Third, institutional diversity is seen to meet the needs of the labour market. The point of view
here is that in modern society an increasing variety of specialisations on the labour marked is
necessary to allow further economic and social development. A homogeneous higher education
system is thought to be less able to respond to the diverse needs of the labour market than a
diversifi ed system.
• A fourth argument is that institutional diversity serves the political needs of interest groups.
The idea is that a diverse system ensures the needs of different groups in society to have their
own identity and their own political legitimation. In less diversifi ed higher education systems
the needs of specifi c groups may remain unaddressed, which may cause internal debates in a
higher education system and various kinds of disruptions.
• A fi fth, and well-known argument is that institutional diversity permits the crucial combination of
elite and mass higher education. Generally speaking, mass systems tend to be more diversifi ed
than elite systems, as mass systems absorb a more heterogeneous clientele and attempt to
respond to a wide range of demands from the labour market.
• A sixth reason why institutional diversity is an important objective for higher education systems
is that diversity is assumed to increase the level of effectiveness of higher education institutions.
The argument is that institutional specialization allows higher education institutions to focus their
attention and energy thus producing higher levels of effectiveness.
• Finally, institutional diversity offers opportunities for experimenting with innovation. In a diversifi ed
higher education system, institutions have the option to assess the viability of innovations created
by other institutions, without necessarily having to implement these innovations themselves.
Diversity offers the possibility to explore the effects of innovative behaviour without the need
to implement the innovations at all institutions at the same time. Diversity permits low-risk
experimentation.
These various arguments in favour of institutional diversity show that diversity is usually assumed to
be a worthwhile objective for higher education systems. Diversifi ed higher educations systems are
believed to produce higher levels of client-orientation (both regarding the needs of students and
of the labour market), social mobility, effectiveness, fl exibility, innovativeness, and stability. More
diversifi ed systems, generally speaking, are thought to be ‘better’ than less diversifi ed systems.
Many governments have designed and implemented policies to increase the level of diversity of
their higher education systems.
MAPPING DIVERSITY
In the European context diversity is seen as both an important characteristic of the overall higher
education system and a worthwhile policy objective. The diversity of the European higher education
system is assumed to be large and this is argued to be a highly relevant condition for the future
development of the system. However, unfortunately the level of this diversity has not yet been made
transparent. It seems that our empirical knowledge about the institutional diversity of European
higher education is still limited. The development of a European classifi cation of higher education
institutions will address this lack of knowledge and transparency.
2.1.2 Rankings
One of the most debated recent developments in higher education worldwide concerns the
application of rankings of higher education institutions. Also in the academic literature on higher
education, rankings are now being widely examined from conceptual, methodological and statistical
points of view. The general consensus seems to be that although there are still serious problems