Opportunities and challenges for international institutional data comparisons

This paper discusses empirical comparisons of higher education institutions across world regions. It argues that institutional data systems have the potential for complementing global comparisons promoted by rankings by providing sensible information on institutional size, budgets, staffing, enrolme...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European journal of higher education 2022-08, Vol.12 (S1), p.373-390
Main Authors: Lepori, Benedetto, Borden, Victor M. H., Coates, Hamish
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Classification
Comparative Education
comparative higher education studies
Cross Cultural Studies
Data Analysis
Educational Indicators
Educational Quality
Foreign Countries
Higher Education
Higher education data
Institutional Characteristics
institutional classification
Institutional Evaluation
Profiles
Reputation
Universities
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Summary:This paper discusses empirical comparisons of higher education institutions across world regions. It argues that institutional data systems have the potential for complementing global comparisons promoted by rankings by providing sensible information on institutional size, budgets, staffing, enrolments and activity profiles. With this perspective in hand, this paper tackles three questions. First, how is it feasible to identify Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) given their complex structures? Second, how is it feasible to define the perimeter of HEI sectors? Third, what kinds of data could be used for comparison, and where are the main data gaps? By analysing institutional data systems across the United States, Europe and Asia, the paper concludes that institutional data systems display some remarkable similarities that make them an important resource for global comparisons; however, variation in the context of data production and usage implies differences in the higher education perimeter and on institutional delimitation; sensible comparisons, therefore, require explicit knowledge of the institutional context in which data have been borne.
ISSN:2156-8235
2156-8243
DOI:10.1080/21568235.2022.2094817