When does strategic leadership or playing the game cross the line into corruption? Untangling the complex relationship between universities and rankings

Ellen Hazelkorn

Chapter 3 in Handbook on Corruption in Higher Education, 2025, pp 20-38 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: The emergence and rise of rankings coincided with the intensification of global competition for knowledge and talent. In this context, the quality, performance, and productivity of higher education have become one of the key indicators of competitiveness for countries, and correspondingly for universities, students and graduates, city and regional authorities, investors, and so on. This chapter aims to explore the complex relationship between rankings and decision-making by students, universities, and governments. Are their actions an illustration of responsible leadership or playing the game—in other words, making reasonable decisions in response to changing circumstances or heightened competition—or do such actions and practices cross the line and equate to corruption? To what extent do rankings and rankers bear responsibility for the way in which the design of their rankings and accompanying business practices create perverse incentives and behaviour?

Keywords: Corruption; Ethics; Leadership; Rankings; Responsibility; Universities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
ISBN: 9781035320233
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