University league tables. Methodological options for ranking systems: Censis approach and alternatives.

Since 2000, the Italian Censis research institute has compiled, on behalf of La Repubblica newspaper, the Grande Guida all’Università, a report which ranks Italianuniversities and faculties according to their quality. This study examined the contents and the methods of the Censis report and assessed possible alternatives. After a brief description of the Censis model, the discussion focuses on “evaluating” and “measuring”, and identified indicators as the means to produce objective, appropriate, and comparable measurement. The results were compared and contrasted in terms of alternative rankings of the Italian 27 Faculties of Political Studies.