PUB - Publikationen an der Universität Bielefeld

It is often assumed that rankings produce or intensify competition, while the way they do this remains largely obscure. We address this problem by analyzing global university rankings. Drawing from a sociological understanding of competition, we propose a concept of rankings as a social operation that combines four elements: comparison of performances, quantification, visualization and publication. We then develop an explanation of how rankings construct competition between universities, highlighting the following three effects thereof: (a) globalization of a specific discourse on university excellence; (b) “scarcification” of reputation for excellence; and (c) regular publication of findings, effectively transforming a stable status order into a dynamic competitive field. In this process, competition for status is being converted from something implicit and inherently local into something explicit and globally acknowledged. We conclude by discussing general conceptual implications of this analysis for the study of the construction and societal impact of competition.