Abstract
We live in an era when individuals, organizations, and governments face pressing demands to be accountable. Not only do we expect actions to be transparent, we also expect them to be demonstrably transparent: the general public has the right to see disinterested evidence of performance, competence, and relative achievement. Quantitative measures seem to offer the best means to achieve these goals. They have the patina of objectivity: stripped of rhetoric and emotion, they show what is "really going on." Even more, they can reduce vast amounts of information to a figure that is easy to understand, a simplicity that intimates that there is nothing to hide, and indeed that nothing can be hidden.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Russell Sage Foundation |
| Number of pages | 281 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781610448567 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9780871544278 |
| State | Published - Jan 1 2016 |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Sciences(all)
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Engines of anxiety : Academic rankings, reputation, and accountability. / Espeland, Wendy Nelson; Sauder, Michael.
Russell Sage Foundation, 2016. 281 p.Research output: Book/Report › Book
TY - BOOK
T1 - Engines of anxiety
T2 - Academic rankings, reputation, and accountability
AU - Espeland, Wendy Nelson
AU - Sauder, Michael
PY - 2016/1/1
Y1 - 2016/1/1
N2 - We live in an era when individuals, organizations, and governments face pressing demands to be accountable. Not only do we expect actions to be transparent, we also expect them to be demonstrably transparent: the general public has the right to see disinterested evidence of performance, competence, and relative achievement. Quantitative measures seem to offer the best means to achieve these goals. They have the patina of objectivity: stripped of rhetoric and emotion, they show what is "really going on." Even more, they can reduce vast amounts of information to a figure that is easy to understand, a simplicity that intimates that there is nothing to hide, and indeed that nothing can be hidden.
AB - We live in an era when individuals, organizations, and governments face pressing demands to be accountable. Not only do we expect actions to be transparent, we also expect them to be demonstrably transparent: the general public has the right to see disinterested evidence of performance, competence, and relative achievement. Quantitative measures seem to offer the best means to achieve these goals. They have the patina of objectivity: stripped of rhetoric and emotion, they show what is "really going on." Even more, they can reduce vast amounts of information to a figure that is easy to understand, a simplicity that intimates that there is nothing to hide, and indeed that nothing can be hidden.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85011865409&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85011865409&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Book
AN - SCOPUS:85011865409
SN - 9780871544278
BT - Engines of anxiety
PB - Russell Sage Foundation
ER -