Inter-ranking reputational effects: an analysis of the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) and the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (THE) reputational relationship

Global university rankings have become a critical factor in the higher education sector, engendering increasing interest and exerting a notable influence over a wide variety of stakeholders. They are presented to different audiences as tools that evaluate and rank universities according to quality. However, some authors are of the opinion that rankings express reputational factors to a large extent. This article presents a model of the intra- and inter-ranking relationships from the perspective of reputation along with an empirical study on two of the most influential rankings: the Academic Ranking of World Universities and the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. Data from these two rankings between 2010 and 2018, and the application of ordinal regressions, provide evidence that both rankings are mutually influential, generating intra and reciprocal reputational effects over time.