GOVERNANCE AND STRATEGIC RESPONSES TO GLOBAL RANKINGS: EVIDENCE FROM UZBEK UNIVERSITIES

International university rankings have become strong tools of governance that impact strategic institutional policies and higher education reforms on the global front. In the case of emerging systems like Uzbekistan, rankings are a challenge as well as a chance to be recognized in the world. This paper presents the response of universities in Uzbekistan to the ranking pressures based on interviews with administrators of a public, private, and international branch campus university, and review of national policy documents. The results leave a very clear picture of contrasts between the private and international universities: international branding, autonomy in decision-making, and research incentives are indicators of structured approaches to ranking whereas bureaucratic rigidity, lack of autonomy, and inadequate allocation of resources characterize universities in public. The more important determinant of competitiveness turns out to be governance capacity, not ambition. The paper concludes that to achieve sustainable progress in rankings, reforms to governance are needed that increase autonomy, accountability, and institutional capacity and integrate rankings into larger education, research, and development missions.