Ranking the Romanian departments of sociology : comparative results of different evaluation methodologies

Abstract

In this article we will discuss the ranking of the sociology higher education study programs in Romania, on the basis of departmental g-successive index. The need and consequences of rankings in higher education is a much debated topic. Thus, we will look a little bit into the assumptions and the logic that underpins any evaluation and ranking exercise. Having done so, we will stumble upon a specific ranking methodology that is largely based on g-index. We will nonetheless show that the alternative official methodology, based on a considerably higher number of indicators, though measuring more comprehensively the concept of quality, largely produces the same results. We will eventually discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using synthetic indexes (like g index for instance) comparing with evaluation exercises that take on board more numerous indicators and dimensions.