Social Science Research Council

As many administrators and faculty have told us, few decisions are made by law schools without considering their potential effect on rankings. Two important and complementary mechanisms induce rankings discipline. First, rankings provide a means for constituents to coerce or pressure law schools as they learn to use and manipulate rankings; second, rankings, by reordering of status relations among law schools, become aspirational and alluring, and are internalized by the parties involved, even those who consider rankings poor or illegitimate measures. Understanding both of these catalysts of rankings discipline is important for appreciating why rankings are so popular and transformative.