RANKINGS, RESEARCHER’S WORK AND FINANCIAL CAPITAL

ABSTRACT

In this article, we reflect on the mercantile space established in research universities: the rankings of higher education, the oligopoly in the scientific publishing industry, and the researcher’s work at the service and reproduction of capital. To this end, we present and discuss the method and indicators of the international rankings of higher education adopted by the World Bank. Next, we analyze the case of the oligopoly of scientific publishers through their histories, their capital, and influences on the scientific community. Finally, we examine theoretically how financial capital imposes the use of the labor force of teacher-researchers in the service of its properties, exhausting from these workers the consciousness about their activities.

Keywords
Academic rankings; Financial capital; Publishing oligopoly