ABSTRACT
Chapter 6 provides some background as to why and how quality ranking systems for higher education institutions came about. A brief history of the development of the four major international ranking systems, ARWU (Shanghai), Times Higher Education (THE), Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) and Webometrics, is presented. A detailed discussion as to the ranking criteria each system uses is made and a comparison across ranking methods is provided. The specific situations of higher education institutions within developing nations and what kind of quality ranking is fair and useful under this context are discussed, as is the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and how these can be used to inform ranking systems. The latter sections of the chapter deal with the various approaches different national governments have used to ensure their higher education institutions are ranked highly, and partnerships between developed and developing nations are also considered. The chapter concludes with a brief discussion of the use of ranking systems for public good.
