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Do the U.S. News & World Report Law School rankings punish and discipline law schools? Yes, according the article "The Discipline of Rankings: Tight Coupling and Organizational Change" in the February 2009 American Sociological Review by professors Michael Sauder of the University of Iowa and Wendy Nelson Espeland of Northwestern University.
The authors say, "Using a case study of law schools, we explain why rankings have permeated law schools so extensively and why these organizations have been unable to buffer these institutional pressures." Sauder and Espeland argue that examining educational rankings in the context of disciplinary power provides an explanation for the effect that the U.S. News & World Report rankings have on law schools. The result, they assert, is a situation perfectly suited for generating anxiety, uncertainty, meticulous monitoring, and discipline.
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The authors say, "Using a case study of law schools, we explain why rankings have permeated law schools so extensively and why these organizations have been unable to buffer these institutional pressures." Sauder and Espeland argue that examining educational rankings in the context of disciplinary power provides an explanation for the effect that the U.S. News & World Report rankings have on law schools. The result, they assert, is a situation perfectly suited for generating anxiety, uncertainty, meticulous monitoring, and discipline.
More...
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