Miloš Kankaraš | 2026 | Preprint
International rankings publish exact country positions. This paper tests which comparisons the evidence behind five of them can support, by reproducing published tables, re-weighting indicators and applying rank inference adjusted for multiple comparisons. In every programme the ordering of neighbouring countries is not supported, each for a different reason, while broad contrasts between high and low performers hold up.
Full text: doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/mbgxs_v1
Suggested citation
Miloš Kankaraš (2026). The illusion of precision: interpreting international rankings within their measurement limits. SocArXiv (preprint). 10.31235/osf.io/mbgxs_v1