ABSTRACT
In Europe, as elsewhere, rankings have made their way into the media he adlines for the past decade. Thus, they have found a place also in the formal policies at institutional, national and European level. The background for the ranking debate in the European context has been shaped by two policy lines: the Bologna process which resulted in the creation of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA)1 and the European Union’s (EU)2 ambition to advance Europe’s competitiveness through knowledge and skills, which includes measures in education but also important investments in research through the development of the European Research Area (ERA). In a context where higher education and generating new knowledge through research and innovation have been given strong emphasis, the perceived message given by global rankings that European universities are lagging behind in the global competition has not exactly been appreciated.
