The Global University Rankings: the Problem of Manipulation

The article reveals the role of the Goodhart's law in building the global university rankings. A review of the methods of manipulation and the errors emerging as a result of this was made; the shortcomings of different types of the rankings and mechanisms that generate the Goodhart's law were showed; the most strongly exposed to the distortion of the Goodhart's law rankings were detected. A strategy of the promotion of Russian universities in the top lists of the global university rankings was suggested.