University ranking methodologies. An interview with Ben Sowter about the Quacquarelli Symonds World University Ranking

University rankings represent a controversial issue in the debate about higher education policy. A growing number of papers is devoted to rankings by focusing on methodological questions about the appropriateness of indicators, weightings, and aggregation methods used (among the others Billaut et al. 2010; Freyer 2014; Jovanovic et al. 2012; Paruolo et al. 2013; van Raan 2005; Safón 2013); others investigated the usefulness and consequences of university rankings (as for example Docampo 2011; O'Connell 2013; Taylor et al. 2013). This growing literature, reviewed by (Hazelkorn 2011; Andrejs Rauhvargers 2011; Andrejs Rauhvargers 2013), witnesses a fierce debate and a lack of consensus not only about methodology but also about policy concerns and unintended effects.