IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v13y2021i4p2038-d499063.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Universities’ Reporting on SDGs: Using THE Impact Rankings to Model and Measure Their Contribution to Sustainability

Author

Listed:
  • Elena De la Poza

    (Centro de Ingeniería Económica, Universitat Politècnica de València, 46022 Valencia, Spain)

  • Paloma Merello

    (Department of Accounting, University of Valencia, 46022 Valencia, Spain)

  • Antonio Barberá

    (Department of Accounting, University of Valencia, 46022 Valencia, Spain)

  • Alberto Celani

    (ABC Department, Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy)

Abstract

Higher education institutions (HEIs) have voiced growing concerns about sustainability issues since Agenda 2030 was approved, but this is not enough for societal stakeholders seeking and delivering innovation and excellence. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted by all UN Member States in 2015 as a universal call to action, and pose a challenge for HEIs as for the efforts made to fulfill them and knowing how to assess their performance. However, the metric management system implemented by HEIs quickly led to rankings emerging, which compare HEIs to metrics not related to the sustainability dimensions of the 17 SDGs. The main aim of the paper is to assess the level of reporting and alignment of SDG achievements with the overall the Times Higher Education (THE) ranking score. For this purpose, our study (i) models and quantifies the impact of HEIs’ disclosure of SDG information on HEIs’ overall THE Impact Rankings score, (ii) analyzes whether the best ranked universities are indeed significantly related to different SDGs than other not-so-well-ranked ones, and (iii) models the differences in the overall score and its alignment with distinct SDGs by dimensions, subjects, and geographical regions. In order to do so, a descriptive analysis, non-parametric tests, and linear and logistic regression analyses were performed. Our results reveal that the overall ranking is related to the reporting of HEIs’ SDG achievements. Moreover, the more positive actions related to health, education, industry, responsible consumption and production, climate action, and partnerships there were, the higher the position of HEIs in the general ranking was. However, we found differences between top-ranking universities and others in geographical location, disclosed information, and impact. Thus, the best-ranked universities are more committed to transferring knowledge to industry to satisfy its needs (SDG9), support strong institutions in their countries, and promote peace and justice (SDG16). Finally, SDG9 and SDG17 are the most relevant and constant SDGs when modeling the alignment of SDGs with HEIs’ dimensions (teaching, research, citations, industry income, international outlook) and subjects (technological and social sciences and humanities). HEIs integrating SDG actions into the strategic management of universities and, consequently, reporting their SDG performance to promote sustainability and contribute to sustainable development, is advisable.

Suggested Citation

  • Elena De la Poza & Paloma Merello & Antonio Barberá & Alberto Celani, 2021. "Universities’ Reporting on SDGs: Using THE Impact Rankings to Model and Measure Their Contribution to Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-28, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:4:p:2038-:d:499063
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/4/2038/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/4/2038/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sahar Sepasi & Udo Braendle & Amir Hossein Rahdari, 2018. "Comprehensive sustainability reporting in higher education institutions," Social Responsibility Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 15(2), pages 155-170, October.
    2. Akbash, K.S. & Pasichnyk, N.O. & Rizhniak, R.Ya., 2021. "Analysis of key factors of influence on scientometric indicators of higher educational institutions of Ukraine," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    3. Rosa Puertas & Luisa Marti, 2019. "Sustainability in Universities: DEA-GreenMetric," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(14), pages 1-17, July.
    4. Manuel Rivera, 2013. "Political Criteria for Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Selection and the Role of the Urban Dimension," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 5(12), pages 1-18, November.
    5. Maria Ángeles Alcaide González & Elena De La Poza Plaza & Natividad Guadalajara Olmeda, 2020. "The impact of corporate social responsibility transparency on the financial performance, brand value, and sustainability level of IT companies," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(2), pages 642-654, March.
    6. Fischhoff, Baruch & Kadvany, John, 2011. "Risk: A Very Short Introduction," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199576203.
    7. Sakiko Fukuda‐Parr & Desmond McNeill, 2019. "Knowledge and Politics in Setting and Measuring the SDGs: Introduction to Special Issue," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 10(S1), pages 5-15, January.
    8. Daniela M. Salvioni & Simona Franzoni & Raffaella Cassano, 2017. "Sustainability in the Higher Education System: An Opportunity to Improve Quality and Image," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(6), pages 1-27, May.
    9. Mónica Benito & Pilar Gil & Rosario Romera, 2019. "Funding, is it key for standing out in the university rankings?," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 121(2), pages 771-792, November.
    10. Kim Ceulemans & Rodrigo Lozano & María Del Mar Alonso-Almeida, 2015. "Sustainability Reporting in Higher Education: Interconnecting the Reporting Process and Organisational Change Management for Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(7), pages 1-23, July.
    11. Daraio, Cinzia & Bonaccorsi, Andrea & Geuna, Aldo & Lepori, Benedetto & Bach, Laurent & Bogetoft, Peter & F. Cardoso, Margarida & Castro-Martinez, Elena & Crespi, Gustavo & de Lucio, Ignacio Fernandez, 2011. "The European university landscape: A micro characterization based on evidence from the Aquameth project," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 40(1), pages 148-164, February.
    12. Manuel Muñoz-Suárez & Natividad Guadalajara & José M. Osca, 2020. "A Comparative Analysis between Global University Rankings and Environmental Sustainability of Universities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-19, July.
    13. Cowan, Robin & Zinovyeva, Natalia, 2013. "University effects on regional innovation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(3), pages 788-800.
    14. Hee-Je Bak & Do Han Kim, 2019. "The unintended consequences of performance-based incentives on inequality in scientists’ research performance," Science and Public Policy, Oxford University Press, vol. 46(2), pages 219-231.
    15. Lucas Jódar & Elena De la Poza, 2020. "How and Why the Metric Management Model Is Unsustainable: The Case of Spanish Universities from 2005 to 2020," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-19, July.
    16. United Nations UN, 2015. "Transforming our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," Working Papers id:7559, eSocialSciences.
    17. Dag W. Aksnes & Liv Langfeldt & Paul Wouters, 2019. "Citations, Citation Indicators, and Research Quality: An Overview of Basic Concepts and Theories," SAGE Open, , vol. 9(1), pages 21582440198, February.
    18. Sara Moggi, 2019. "Social and environmental reports at universities: a Habermasian view on their evolution," Accounting Forum, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(3), pages 283-326, July.
    19. Vicente Safón & Domingo Docampo, 2020. "Analyzing the impact of reputational bias on global university rankings based on objective research performance data: the case of the Shanghai Ranking (ARWU)," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 125(3), pages 2199-2227, December.
    20. Richard Florida & Ruben Gaetani, 2020. "The university's Janus face: The innovation–inequality nexus," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 41(6), pages 1097-1112, September.
    21. Benoît Godin, 2006. "The Knowledge-Based Economy: Conceptual Framework or Buzzword?," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 31(1), pages 17-30, January.
    22. Hirsch Hadorn, Gertrude & Bradley, David & Pohl, Christian & Rist, Stephan & Wiesmann, Urs, 2006. "Implications of transdisciplinarity for sustainability research," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(1), pages 119-128, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Diego Bonilla-Jurado & Ember Zumba & Araceli Lucio-Quintana & Carlos Yerbabuena-Torres & Andrea Ramírez-Casco & Cesar Guevara, 2024. "Advancing University Education: Exploring the Benefits of Education for Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(17), pages 1-27, September.
    2. Mayte Gómez Marcos & Marcelo Ruiz Toledo & Claudio Ruff Escobar, 2022. "Towards Inclusive Higher Education: A Multivariate Analysis of Social and Gender Inequalities," Societies, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-15, December.
    3. PORANCEA-RĂULEA Andreea Simina, 2022. "The Importance Of Sustainability For University Competitiveness," Studies in Business and Economics, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Faculty of Economic Sciences, vol. 17(1), pages 187-201, April.
    4. Anete Veidemane, 2022. "Education for Sustainable Development in Higher Education Rankings: Challenges and Opportunities for Developing Internationally Comparable Indicators," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-20, April.
    5. Mehtab Alam & Fu-Ren Lin, 2022. "Internalizing Sustainability into Research Practices of Higher Education Institutions: Case of a Research University in Taiwan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-30, August.
    6. Catarina Figueiredo & Ulisses Miranda Azeiteiro & Antonio García-Vinuesa & Sara Costa Carvalho, 2021. "Campus Decarbonization: Students’ Perceptions for Reducing Meat Consumption in a Portuguese University," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-15, May.
    7. Beatriz Martín Bautista-Cerro & Anabel Castillo-Rodríguez & Justo García-Navarro, 2023. "Contribution of European University Alliances to Education for Sustainable Development and to the SDGs: A Case Study on the Circular EELISA Community," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(23), pages 1-14, November.
    8. Chauhan, Chetna & Kaur, Puneet & Arrawatia, Rakesh & Ractham, Peter & Dhir, Amandeep, 2022. "Supply chain collaboration and sustainable development goals (SDGs). Teamwork makes achieving SDGs dream work," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 290-307.
    9. Soo Jeung Lee & Christian Schneijderberg & Yangson Kim & Isabel Steinhardt, 2021. "Have Academics’ Citation Patterns Changed in Response to the Rise of World University Rankings? A Test Using First-Citation Speeds," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-19, August.
    10. Henderson, Kirsten & Loreau, Michel, 2023. "A model of Sustainable Development Goals: Challenges and opportunities in promoting human well-being and environmental sustainability," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 475(C).
    11. Najihath Basheer & Vian Ahmed & Zied Bahroun & Chiraz Anane, 2024. "Exploring Sustainability Assessment Practices in Higher Education: A Comprehensive Review through Content and Bibliometric Analyses," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(13), pages 1-32, July.
    12. Juan Abello-Romero & Claudio Mancilla & Walter Sáez & Francisco Ganga-Contreras & Ivette Durán-Seguel, 2023. "Sustainable Development and Corporate Sustainability of Chilean State Universities: Evidence from Their Strategic Elements," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-16, July.
    13. Olusiji Adebola Lasekan & Felipe Opazo & Claudia Myrna Méndez Alarcón, 2024. "Enhancing Sustainable Development Goal Integration in Chilean Citizenship Education: A Thematic Analysis of Textbook Content and Instructional Strategies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(12), pages 1-17, June.
    14. Jagoda Mrzygłocka-Chojnacka & Radosław Ryńca, 2023. "Using a Multi-Criteria Ranking Method to Assess Factors Influencing the Implementation of Sustainable Development at Higher Educational Institutions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-14, April.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Walter Leal Filho & Alfonso Coronado-Marín & Amanda Lange Salvia & Fernanda Frankenberger Silva & Franziska Wolf & Todd LeVasseur & Maria J. Kirrane & Federica Doni & Arminda Paço & Malgorzata Blichar, 2022. "International Trends and Practices on Sustainability Reporting in Higher Education Institutions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-17, September.
    2. Christoph Burmann & Fernando García & Francisco Guijarro & Javier Oliver, 2021. "Ranking the Performance of Universities: The Role of Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-16, November.
    3. Abdulhakeem Raji & Abeer Hassan, 2021. "Sustainability and Stakeholder Awareness: A Case Study of a Scottish University," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-17, April.
    4. Gloria Fiorani & Chiara Di Gerio, 2022. "Reporting University Performance through the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda: Lessons Learned from Italian Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-19, July.
    5. Cristina Alexandrina Stefanescu, 2021. "Sustainability Reporting in the Public Realm—Trends and Patterns in Knowledge Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-23, April.
    6. Gaston Fornes & Abel Monfort & Camelia Ilie & Chun Kwong (Tony) Koo & Guillermo Cardoza, 2019. "Ethics, Responsibility, and Sustainability in MBAs. Understanding the Motivations for the Incorporation of ERS in Less Traditional Markets," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(24), pages 1-22, December.
    7. Sotiria Grek, 2022. "The education Sustainable Development Goal and the generative power of failing metrics [The Learning Metrics Task Force 2.0: Taking the Global Dialogues on Measuring Learning to the Country Level]," Policy and Society, Darryl S. Jarvis and M. Ramesh, vol. 41(4), pages 445-457.
    8. Giorgia Miotto & Marc Polo López & Josep Rom Rodríguez, 2019. "Gender Equality and UN Sustainable Development Goals: Priorities and Correlations in the Top Business Schools’ Communication and Legitimation Strategies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-18, January.
    9. Manuel Muñoz-Suárez & Natividad Guadalajara & José M. Osca, 2020. "A Comparative Analysis between Global University Rankings and Environmental Sustainability of Universities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-19, July.
    10. Zeigermann, Ulrike & Böcher, Michael, 2020. "Challenges for bridging the gap between knowledge and governance in sustainability policy – The case of OECD ‘Focal Points’ for Policy Coherence for Development," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    11. MacFeely Steve, 2020. "Measuring the Sustainable Development Goal Indicators: An Unprecedented Statistical Challenge," Journal of Official Statistics, Sciendo, vol. 36(2), pages 361-378, June.
    12. Juan Martín-Miguel & Camio Prado-Román & Gabriel Cachón-Rodríguez & Lilliana L. Avendaño-Miranda, 2020. "Determinants of Reputation at Private Graduate Online Schools," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-18, November.
    13. Andrea Bonaccorsi & Daniele Biancardi & Mabel Sanchez Barrioluengo & Federico Biagi, 2019. "Study on Higher Education Institutions and Local Development," JRC Research Reports JRC117272, Joint Research Centre.
    14. MacFeely Steve, 2020. "Measuring the Sustainable Development Goal Indicators: An Unprecedented Statistical Challenge," Journal of Official Statistics, Sciendo, vol. 36(2), pages 361-378, June.
    15. Víctor Meseguer-Sánchez & Emilio Abad-Segura & Luis Jesús Belmonte-Ureña & Valentín Molina-Moreno, 2020. "Examining the Research Evolution on the Socio-Economic and Environmental Dimensions on University Social Responsibility," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(13), pages 1-30, July.
    16. Anna Brdulak & Bartosz Stec, 2024. "Concept of sustainable development at Wrocław University of Science and Technology based on the perspective of selected stakeholder groups," Operations Research and Decisions, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Management, vol. 34(1), pages 61-89.
    17. Cristian Mejia & Yuya Kajikawa, 2021. "The Academic Landscapes of Manufacturing Enterprise Performance and Environmental Sustainability: A Study of Commonalities and Differences," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(7), pages 1-16, March.
    18. Luis Alberto Mejía-Manzano & Patricia Vázquez-Villegas & Anthony Smith & Alfredo Soeiro & Anikó Kálmán & Tamer Atabarut & Nicolás Otaduy-Rivera & Jorge Membrillo-Hernández & Patricia Caratozzolo, 2023. "An Exploratory Study Examining the Key Aspects and Actions for Universities to Achieve High Sustainability Rankings," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-19, February.
    19. Alamo Alexandre da Silva Batista & Antonio Carlos de Francisco, 2018. "Organizational Sustainability Practices: A Study of the Firms Listed by the Corporate Sustainability Index," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-13, January.
    20. Renato Camodeca & Alex Almici, 2021. "Digital Transformation and Convergence toward the 2030 Agenda’s Sustainability Development Goals: Evidence from Italian Listed Firms," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-18, October.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:4:p:2038-:d:499063. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.