Engines of Anxiety: Academic Rankings, Reputation, and Accountability

FEATURING MICHAEL SAUDER – Among the myriad decisions facing new graduates are a dizzying array of choices chief among which is where to go to school. We live in a society where because we can process large amounts of data very easily, we do. We have measures of almost everything these days, intended to help us make the best possible decision, and that includes which college or university to attend. The best-known ranking system is the US News and World Report’s Best Colleges rankings. Competition to appear in the top 5 or even top 20, is fierce. Now, after a decade of research, two sociology professors have published a book casting great doubt on the entire rankings industry.

Michael Sauder, Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Iowa, co-author with Wendy Nelson Espeland of the new book ‘Engines of Anxiety: Academic Rankings, Reputation, and Accountability’.