Fabricated world class: global university league tables, status differentiation and myths of global competition

David, M.

doi:10.1080/01425692.2015.1096190

Fabricated world class: global university league tables, status differentiation and myths of global competition

David, M.

Authors

Dr Matthew David matthew.david@durham.ac.uk
Associate Professor

Abstract

UK media coverage of global university league tables shows systematic bias towards the Russell Group, although also highlighting tensions within its membership. Coverage positions UK ‘elite’ institutions between US superiority and Asian ascent. Coverage claims that league table results warrant UK university funding reform. However, league table data for all years to 2012 (when major funding reforms were implemented – most radically in England) do not show either US superiority or Asian ascent. Citation bias defines media content. Text itself is structured by three discursive ‘ratchets’: highlighting US successes but never failures, rising Asian institutions but never falls, and claiming that UK results warrant the same policy irrespective of whether results improve or worsen. These combine with selective doubt by ‘elites’ who question but are not questioned. These four discursive mechanisms fabricate an illusory threat of global competition. This threat is then used to warrant neo-liberal policies at home.

Citation

David, M. (2016). Fabricated world class: global university league tables, status differentiation and myths of global competition. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 37(1), 169-189. https://doi.org/10.1080/01425692.2015.1096190

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	Sep 16, 2015
Online Publication Date	Dec 23, 2015
Publication Date	Jan 1, 2016
Deposit Date	Sep 18, 2015
Publicly Available Date	Jun 23, 2017
Journal	British Journal of Sociology of Education
Print ISSN	0142-5692
Electronic ISSN	1465-3346
Publisher	Taylor and Francis Group
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	37
Issue	1
Pages	169-189
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1080/01425692.2015.1096190
Keywords	League tables, Universities, Media, Globalization, Thematic analysis, Discursive mechanisms.

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Copyright Statement
This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis Group in British Journal of Sociology of Education on 23/12/2015, available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/01425692.2015.1096190.