International Rankings Research Articles

HISTORY OF JAPAN'S USE OF SOFT POWER TO ACHIEVE NATIONAL INTERESTS: LESSONS FOR UKRAINE

This article focuses on the phenomenon of soft power in the context of Japan. It examines the historical development of the country's soft power, the institutions and initiatives that ensure it, and the challenges that have been shaped in different historical periods. Given that today Japan is a country with one of the most effectively developed mechanisms of cultural diplomacy, it can serve as an example for states seeking to develop their own soft power institutions and fields. In particular, the author describes the relationship between Japanese soft power and the economy in its various sectors, and explains the phenomenon of the popularity of Japanese cultural products abroad. Various international rankings are used to analyse these phenomena. The research methods used include description, synthesis, generalisation, and comparison. The author also analyses the history and historical and foreign policy factors that influenced the development of Japan's soft power. Accordingly, the author describes how Japan has managed to overcome historical and geographical challenges in building soft power and how it protects its national interests. From this analysis, the author also derives recommendations for Ukraine in building its own soft power, having described and characterised its current state. Accordingly, it was found that the success factor for Japanese soft power was economic development, which allowed for the rapid expansion of various industries from gastronomy and sports to music and literature. But the most attractive thing about the Japanese cultural product is its modernity and compliance with trends, as well as the wide choice that attracts many people. In addition, Japan has made efforts to become a leader in unique policy areas such as the environment or know-how.

Компаративный анализ интернационализации университетов регионов мира в условиях смены глобального мирового лидера

Qualified personnel plays an important role in the competition between countries for economic leadership that enables the transition to a multipolar world. In this context, the higher education sphere is changing; universities worldwide are increasingly striving to attract the best students to their country. The study aims to identify factors causing changes in the position of universities in world regions and develop recommendations for Russian universities to strengthen their positions in the global education market. The methodology relies on the concept of different historical cycles leading to changes in world leaders. The article offers a contemporary interpretation of higher education internationalisation as a multidimensional process instead of fragmentation. The first section explores the issue of changing the world leader; the second identifies transformations in higher education internationalisation in key world regions; the third assesses university internationalisation as a basis for new rankings and self-assessment. A hypothesis about the correlation between the trend of changing global leaders and the place of national universities in international rankings is confirmed. To assess the trend dynamics, the article proposes authors’ multidimensional indices of higher education and university internationalisation for world countries. It is revealed that China, aspiring to be a world leader, has expanded its share in the education market and increased import volumes by more than 1.5 times, sending its students to high-ranking universities, while the USA has weakened its position. Russian universities occupy middle positions in rankings despite the growth of the country’s share in the global education market. Recommendations offered to Russian universities and the option of their self-assessment can be used by strategic development professionals.

ОЦІНКА ІННОВАЦІЙНОГО ПОТЕНЦІАЛУ УКРАЇНИ В КОНТЕКСТІ СВІТОВИХ РЕЙТИНГІВ

The innovative potential of Ukraine was evaluated in the context of world ratings, in particular according to the Global Innovation Index, the Bloomberg Innovation Index and the Summary Innovation Index. The place of Ukraine among other countries of the world in terms of the level of innovative development has been determined. In the Global Innovation Index in 2021, Ukraine was in 49th place, in the Bloomberg Innovation Index – in 58th place, in the Innovation Index of the Summary Innovation Index – in 34th place. According to the results of the ratings, such countries as Switzerland, USA, Sweden, South Korea, Great Britain, Finland, and Germany occupy the leading positions. The position of Ukraine in international rankings before the full-scale invasion of Russia on the territory of Ukraine indicates a rather unstable competitive position and the absence of an active policy in support of innovative activities and lack of effective mechanisms for introducing innovations and further commercialization. And the war only deepened and exacerbated the existing problems and significantly worsened the image of our state on the international arena in the context of its innovative development. In such difficult conditions, it is already important to use the best world experience and practices of the European Union in the formation of state policy regarding the development of innovations, including finding ways to increase financial support for innovative development from the state. The implementation of effective state regulation through the mechanisms of stimulating and supporting innovations, as the main driving force for increasing competitiveness, establishing cooperation between the state, society and business, creating a favorable institutional environment for the development of science, scientific developments and research should be a priority vector of Ukraine despite all the difficulties associated with war. The creation of human resources support mechanisms, in which Ukrainian scientists could implement their innovative ideas and developments in Ukraine, and not abroad, will also contribute to the increase of innovation potential.

ЦИФРОВІ ІННОВАЦІЇ В АГРАРНОМУ СЕКТОРІ: АНАЛІЗ ЕФЕКТИВНОСТІ ТА ПЕРСПЕКТИВИ ВПРОВАДЖЕННЯ В УКРАЇНІ

The article examines digital innovations in Ukraine's agricultural sector and their impact on the effi ciency of agricultural production. It is noted that digital technologies have permeated almost all areas of life, including the agricultural sector. The conditions that contribute to the development of the innovative potential of agricultural enterprises are identifi ed, including computer literacy, government support programs for digital strategies, fi nancial capacity, and more. Key technologies such as precision farming, process automation, the use of drones and satellite monitoring, as well as data management systems, are examined. The impact of these technologies on increasing crop yields, optimizing resource use, and reducing costs is analyzed. Barriers to the implementation of digital innovations, such as high implementation costs, insuffi cient funding, and lack of appropriate infrastructure, are identifi ed. The article also explores opportunities to overcome these barriers through increased investment, collaboration between the public and private sectors, and the development of digital literacy among farmers. Innovative solutions being implemented in the agricultural sector are reviewed, including comprehensive machinery management, work accounting, fuel management systems, and precision and smart farming. The advantages and disadvantages of digital innovations in Ukraine's agricultural sector are presented. The categories of foreign direct investment in Ukraine's agricultural sector and the main aspects of digital innovations are described. Ukraine's innovation indicators are analyzed in comparison to global averages, and Ukraine's position in various international rankings is identifi ed. The article outlines the prospects for further development of digital innovations in Ukraine's agricultural sector and their signifi cance for ensuring sustainable agricultural development in the face of global changes. It is emphasized that the digital transformation of the agricultural sector is essential for improving the competitiveness and effi ciency of Ukrainian agriculture.

Competitive capabilities of higher education institutions from their Employees' perspectives: A case study of King Khalid University.

This study aimed to uncover the competitive advantages of King Khalid University (KKU) as a higher educational institution and identify the strategies needed to strengthen its competitive stance through a qualitative case study approach. Data were collected via detailed interviews with 30 university staff, comprising 19 faculty members and 11 academic leaders. Following this, the data were qualitatively analyzed using MAXQDA 2022 software. The results showed that KKU has 30 sub-competitive strengths, including work ethics, future vision, academic excellence, creativity, teamwork, respect for intellectual property, continuous customer-focused improvement, a positive workplace environment, organizational trust, and the ability to attract international students. Additionally, the study identified 8 challenges hindering KKU's advancement in global university rankings, spanning academic, human, and administrative areas. To improve its standing in international rankings, thematic analysis revealed 11 strategies to enhance KKU's competitiveness. These include aligning academic programs with job market demands, enhancing research facilities, boosting funding for academic and research endeavors, fostering international academic and scientific partnerships, and upgrading the technological infrastructure for academics and administration. The analysis underscores the need for KKU to adopt a comprehensive suite of academic, human, and administrative strategies to bolster its competitive position. This is crucial for KKU's rise in global university rankings and its alignment with the National Vision 2030, aiming to place over five Saudi universities among the top 100 or 200 globally.

ИНДИКАТОРЫ РЕЙТИНГОВ КАК КРИТЕРИИ АКАДЕМИЧЕСКОГО ПРЕВОСХОДСТВА В ВЫСШЕМ ОБРАЗОВАНИИ: КАЗАХСТАНСКИЙ КОНТЕКСТ

The article is devoted to the assessment of criteria and indicators for measuring academic excel-lence within the framework of the international system of assessment of university education. The article examines existing evaluation criteria, including the role of rating systems, and presents examples of foreign initiatives that analyze their interaction with rating assessments. The authors also discuss the idea of creating a Center of Academic Excellence (CAE) in Kazakhstan, based on global experience in implementing academic excellence initiatives. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of the starting positions of Kazakhstani universities according to rating indicators, which allows us to draw conclusions about the current state of the academic sector in the country and its place in the global context. Based on expert interviews with top management and teaching staff of leading Kazakhstani universities, the main criteria of academic excellence and their correlation with rating indicators are identified. The article also carried out a SWOT analysis of the position of Kazakhstani universities in the QS World University Rankings 2024 according to key indicators. The research methodology is based on grounded theory ap-plied in qualitative methods. The practical significance of the results of the work lies in the formation of recommendations for improving the positions of Kazakhstani universities in international rankings and strengthening their competitiveness at the global level.

Models for university sustainable development: Overview of international practices

This study focuses on the components of university sustainable development in the way of achieving global competitiveness of the national higher education system. The coordinating role of the university in promoting the principles of sustainable development is due to both its transforming agency as a subject of economic relations and complex activities within the framework of the implementation of the “third mission” in the region. International experience in the development of sustainable development indicators is based on an integrative approach in which subsystems of indicators including economic, environmental, social and institutional ones are distinguished within the framework of a common system. These indicators form the basis of international university ranking systems. The purpose of this study is to analyze the models of sustainable development of participating universities out of the Top 500 global rankings by comparing and systematizing ESG components. The existing classification of sustainable development models is updated by the authors. The concept of “sustainability” is characterized, a description of typical models of sustainable development underlying the activities of Russian and foreign leading universities is presented

Влияние рейтингов на эффективность управления деятельностью вузов и подготовки высококвалифицированных кадров

In the face of fierce competition in the educational services market, Russian universities are actively implementing various systems of key indicators of educational and scientific activities in an effort to take high positions in various international and national rankings. However, such an approach negatively affects both the quality of specialist training and the spiritual and moral role of the higher education system in the development of Russian society.. The subject of the research is rating as a tool for strategic management of the organization and personnel management and evaluation of the effectiveness of higher education institutions. The purpose of the work is to develop proposals to reduce the use of quantitative approaches in the process of evaluating the effectiveness of higher education organizations in Russia, as well as in the personnel management system. The research methodology is based on general and special methods of scientific cognition, normative, positive and comparative types of analysis, synthesis, classification, as well as sociological research methods are used in the work. The methods of rating the activities of scientific and pedagogical staff, as well as the main performance indicators of educational institutions of higher education, which relate to discriminant methods, including methods for classifying multidimensional observations according to the principle of maximum similarity in the presence of training features in the form of ratings and ranks, are analyzed. In particular, information on the most well-known performance ratings of modern domestic and foreign universities is systematized, the main directions of their use in the practice of Russian and foreign universities are considered. The modern trend of innovation-oriented organizations and institutions is presented, which consists in abandoning rating and switching to conducting conversations between managers and performers to find sources of growth in their workplaces. As a result of the conducted research, it was concluded that it is necessary to include qualitative indicators in the evaluation systems and conduct university ratings based on open data.

Chilean Universities in the main international rankings: Critical review of the results

Chilean Universities in the main international rankings: Critical review of the results

ФАКТОРИ ІНВЕСТИЦІЙНОЇ ПРИВАБЛИВОСТІ УКРАЇНИ

The article examines factors of Ukraine's investment attractiveness and ways of its activation. The modern legislative regulation of the activation of investment activities and the statistical dynamics of investments in the domestic economy are considered. It was noted about the effective legislative incentives of the laws of Ukraine "Regarding risk insurance of investments in Ukraine against war risks" and "On state support of investment projects with significant investments in Ukraine". The main tasks of the legislative decisions of the government during the full-scale military invasion of the occupiers are the activation and support of the innovative environment in Ukraine, the attraction of strategic investors to the domestic economy, and the provision of state support for large investment projects. This especially applies to such branches of the national economy as processing industry, extraction and beneficiation of minerals, transport, logistics, health care, etc. But this support will refer to large investment projects, namely, investment amounts must be equivalent to 12 million euros and the term of implementation of such projects should not exceed 5 years. The most active international companies are noted. Guarantees offered by the domestic government to foreign investors are given. Actual and planned reinvestments since the beginning of the military invasion of Ukraine are given. The international rankings of Ukraine are given. According to the rating compiled on the basis of research by Aswat Damodaran from the Stern School of Business at New York University, Ukraine is among the 20 countries in the world with a high investment risk. The rating was formed with the factors of political risk, economic structure, economic growth prospects, fiscal flexibility, debt burden of the public administration sector, stability of the financial sector, flexibility of monetary policy and gross and net external debt. The areas of activation of investment attractiveness in Ukraine are recommended - in the state and banking systems, and in the sphere of regulation of the market environment.

Universities and their rankings under new conditions

This is not the first year we have been living in conditions of a sharp reduction in scientific contacts and growing autarky. Many Western publishing houses and magazines refuse to publish texts by Russian authors. The number of joint conferences is decreasing. Some compilers of foreign ratings excluded Russian organizations from the lists. For their part, our leaders of science and education rightly point out the shortcomings of Western criteria and the limited possibility of their application in our conditions, and call for the development and use of alternatives. It is no coincidence that the “5-100” project, which ended in 2020, did not achieve its goals. At the same time, the role of ratings, which allows one to compare and contrast the achievements of scientific and educational organizations, is not disputed. New approaches and methods are being developed that are more applicable in our conditions. At the same time, it is impossible to completely abandon international indicators, and domestic developments must be comparable with generally accepted world ones. The study provides information about the features of these ratings, current data on their results in 2023-24. Attention is paid to the Moscow international ranking of universities “Three Missions of the University” and domestic professional rankings.

Academic International Rankings: Reality and Ambition of Jordanian Universities

Academic International Rankings: Reality and Ambition of Jordanian Universities

РЕФОРМУВАННЯ НАЦІОНАЛЬНОЇ СИСТЕМИ ПРАВОВОЇ ОХОРОНИ ІНТЕЛЕКТУАЛЬНОЇ ВЛАСНОСТІ УКРАЇНИ В КОНТЕКСТІ ЄВРОІНТЕГРАЦІЇ

The article investigates the current state and effectiveness of reforms within Ukraine's intellectual property (IP) system in the context of European integration. By analyzing scientific literature and legal regulations, it aims to substantiate recommendations and proposals for further development of the IP system. The primary focus lies on analyzing the IP system and its transformation during Ukraine's European integration process. The article delves into the essence, nature, and key approaches to defining the IP system. Following the ratification of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU, the authors explore the motivations behind the necessary reforms for the Ukrainian IP system. These reforms ultimately aim to integrate Ukraine into the EU single market. The article outlines the goals and objectives of these reforms, along with an analysis of the regulatory framework that defines the directions for IP system reform. It then examines the main strategic reform areas in the IP field, including: reforming the state IP management system; reorganizing the system for collective management of copyright and related rights; ensuring transparency in the operations of the newly established National Intellectual Property Office (UIPO/IP Office); enhancing and harmonizing Ukrainian legislation with EU law during European integration. The article analyzes the positive changes that have emerged within the IP system during the reform process. It also identifies the main barriers and challenges hindering the development of the IP system in contemporary times. Furthermore, the research analyzes the dynamics of Ukraine's position in international rankings based on changes in the Intellectual Property Rights Index and its sub-indices. The authors conclude that the IP system reform remains unfinished. This incompleteness negatively impacts the country's economic development during wartime and hinders European integration efforts. The article explores effective tools and measures that could accelerate positive changes in Ukraine's IP system.

Do International Rankings Affect Public Opinion?

Do International Rankings Affect Public Opinion?

Algorithmic power and scientific knowledge

Abstract This paper critically revisits traditional perspectives on technology within academic and scientific writing studies. It aims to comprehend the intricate, emerging, and dynamic sociotechnical configurations that underlie contemporary scientific practices. These practices increasingly involve language, text, and literacy practices, seen as products of the collaboration between humans and machines. The paper draws on empirical research on influential institutional metadiscourses in high-impact scientific writing produced and/or disseminated by public universities and a research institute in the State of São Paulo (Brazil), whose local policies of globalization are driven by international university rankings. I use a qualitative content analysis approach grounded in socio-anthropological, socio-semiotic, and pragmatic studies of linguistic ideologies to shed light on how ideological and socio-semiotic processes support the metapragmatics of scientific writing in university policy documents. This metapragmatics is utterly alien to the role of performative sociotechnical infrastructures in the production, distribution, and hierarchization of scientific texts. Additionally, these documents do not account for the diverse conditions and restrictions that shape the production and circulation of academic knowledge in geopolitically marginal and equally diverse regions within the country, including those within São Paulo.

РАЗВИТИЕ МАРКЕТИНГОВОЙ ПОЛИТИКИ КОММЕРЧЕСКИХ БАНКОВ В СТРАНАХ ЕАЭС

Member countries of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) highlight digital transformation as a priority strategic direction of development within the framework of the integration association. Active implementation of digital technologies will significantly increase the competitiveness of companies. The development and implementation of technological innovations are becoming important in business development and digital transformation in the EAEU countries. The subject of this study is marketing policy in the EAEU countries. The article presents an analysis of the role of technological innovation in business development and digital transformation in the EAEU countries; the features of creating a favorable digital business environment in the countries of the Union are considered, the positions of the EAEU in the global innovation index and other international rankings are analyzed. The study identified problems that require resolution for businesses to achieve their goals in the digital economy, and opportunities for business with the further diffusion of digital technologies.

Innovation as a Key Driving Force of Ukraine's Economic Development in New Conditions

The article substantiates the role of innovation as one of the key drivers of Ukraine's economic development in the new conditions dictated by the war and integration with the EU. Based on a review of leading international ratings, the author analyses the state of Ukraine's innovation activity before and during the war. The strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities in Ukraine's innovation sector are identified. The results showed a deterioration in Ukraine's innovative position in international rankings, mainly under the influence of the war. The changes in the key indicators of innovation activity in Ukraine from 2010-2021 are analysed. The results show a downward trend in most of Ukraine's innovation indicators over the period analysed. The identified problems in Ukraine's innovation sphere are primarily related to the state's need for a more effective innovation policy. The main directions for improving Ukraine's innovation policy in the new conditions are identified based on the obtained results. The author identifies key promising areas for Ukraine’s innovation development in the new conditions.

International, National and Intra-University Rankings as a Motivator of Quality and Success: The Experience of Sumy State University

Despite their shortcomings, university rankings have become one of the most important, popular, and practical tools for measuring the effectiveness of activities in the world’s educational and scientific space, a kind of external audit mechanism. They are also an effective tool for decision-making by stakeholders, a means of introducing a culture of competitiveness into the work of personnel, and, of course, a critical management factor that can help optimize existing and establish new internal business processes, that is, be a tool for self-analysis, benchmarking and strategic planning. Ranking methodologies are constantly updated, and higher education institutions aim to increase attention to one or another direction of educational and scientific activity, as well as the fulfilment of the “third” mission, in particular, the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
 International rankings of universities are diverse; they can be conventionally grouped into five categories: scientific and educational activity, research, Sustainable Development Goals achieving, ecological orientation, and assessment of webometric indicators. At the same time, the rankings of one category differ according to specific indicators, methodological aspects and have different regional appeal. The experience of Sumy State University proves the need to participate and consider the maximum possible number of ranking measurements in the current activity.
 Formulated priorities and conceptual principles of activity of Sumy State University in the 2000s are ambitious, as they provided for the development of a European-level university based on research and entrepreneurial model, and do not lose their relevance. The meaning of the rankings is determined, given their role in forming the general and functional strategies of the university’s development. The tool for implementing these strategies is the development of an intra-university ranking, which is aimed at the comprehensive evaluation of activities, development of a self-evaluation system, provoking multi-level competition, and adjustment of structural divisions for effective action in the global educational space. This intra-university ranking covers all critical areas of activity of the structural units of the university: scientific and pedagogical potential, formation of a contingent of education seekers, quality of educational and scientific and extracurricular work with students, quality of international activity, level of publication of results of scientific activity, quality of training of scientific and pedagogical personnel, quality of presentation of activity results on the Internet and media space, financial evaluation of innovative activity, as well as international and national levels of measurement of multidisciplinary activity.
 The article states that understanding the dependence of the country’s success on the quality of education and science necessitates the creation of national ratings and government programs to support the most successful universities. The national ranking, in particular and unlike the international ones, due to the increase in the number of sources of statistical information, has the opportunity to take into account a more significant number of various factors for all three missions of the university (research, educational activity, the level of socio-economic impact) and should be as transparent as possible. In the national rating, there is an opportunity to overcome one of the critical shortcomings of the international university ratings — the inconsistency of the international and domestic interpretation of statistical data and to simplify the data validation process significantly. The article contains several suggestions on the essence of what has been stated.

SPECIALIZED FAMILY COURTS REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN

The experience of creating in Kazakhstan its own model of family courts is described and the results of the implementation of pilot projects of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the introduction of judicial, pre-trial, out-of-court procedures for the settlement of cases and disputes arising from family, marital, parental, housing, household legal relations are analyzed. The relevance of the topic is predetermined by the ongoing course of development of the judicial system and judicial proceedings of the Republic of Kazakhstan in accordance with the principle of specialization of courts and judges. This topic is actualized in the conditions of increasing the competitiveness of Kazakhstan and becoming its highly developed country. On the way to achieving such an ambitious goal, it is of fundamental importance to improve the social and demographic situation within the country, reduce the level of social tension and conflict among the population, strengthen family values among young people, establish gender equality, as well as create a friendly society for children. The implementation of these measures, on the one hand, contributes to the improvement of the level of legal culture of the population within the country, and on the other hand, contributes to the improvement of Kazakhstan's indicators outside the country, for example, in popular international rankings on the global competitiveness of the countries of the world, the rule of law index and the level of happiness. And today, in the conditions of building a New Fair Kazakhstan, judicial specialization within the courts of general jurisdiction as a judicial, judicial, judicial-status principle is particularly relevant in ensuring the rule of law and the rule of law based on it in various spheres of legal relations, including marriage, family and housing. The study revealed the particularly significant role and important place of specialized family courts in improving the social and demographic characteristics of the population. The scientific works of scientists and the regulatory legal framework for the organization and functioning of family courts, empirical data on their activities have been studied. At the end of the work, brief conclusions are given, arguing arguments about the relevance, viability, and justification of the family courts of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Hukum Najis Mughallazah dan Kaedah Sertu Menurut Pandangan Empat Mazhab

Samak and sertu are terms related to the purification process in Islam. In the Islamic society in Malaysia, there is a misconception about the terms samak and sertu and the use of both terms in the purification of impurity. This misconception arises from a lack of understanding of the terms samak and sertu. Therefore, this article aims to explain the difference between the terms samak and sertu and the use of both terms. To achieve the aforementioned objectives, this study is based on an analysis of the content of fiqh books, scholarly articles, and fatwa on international and national rankings. For the analysis of Arabic books, the search of the terms al-dhabghu and ghasala is used. Meanwhile, the terms samak and sertu in the Malaysian Islamic Progress Office (JAKIM) guide. This data is then analyzed based on the views of the four madhhabs that are muktabar in fiqh. The results show that samak is the process of cleaning an animal's skin of impurities for a specific purpose with a sharp tool. While sertu is the process of cleaning the affected part of mughallazah faeces (dogs, pigs and their offspring) with the help of water and soil. The cleaning method of samak and sertu is different from the other two. The meaning of samak and sertu should be understood, as they were agreed upon for cleaning and hygiene.