Entre prestígio e propósito: o paradoxo dos rankings e o papel das instituições de ensino superior na transição sustentável

Abstract

This thesis investigates how Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) navigate the paradox between pursuing academic prestige, as mediated by global university rankings, and effective engagement with sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The study is justified by the central role of HEIs in the sustainable transition within a context of contemporary polycrisis, in which institutions operate under evaluation regimes strongly oriented toward reputational metrics. The main objective is to analyze the complex interaction among external incentives, institutional capacities, and systemic forces that shape institutional strategies, and to propose a theoretical-methodological framework to govern this tension. Adopting an article-based format, the research combines quantitative, qualitative, and conceptual methodologies. Empirically, it draws on data from international sustainability and excellence rankings, as well as bibliometric indicators from the SciVal database. Analytically, the thesis articulates Institutional Theory and Resource Dependence Theory with Weberian rationalities. The findings reveal a pattern of selective engagement oriented toward measurability, a frequent dissociation between academic prestige and substantive impact, and the influence of resource asymmetries on the international visibility of HEIs. As its main contribution, the thesis consolidates the metaphor of the overloaded circuit and proposes the Model of Paradoxical Tensions in University Leadership for Sustainability (MTPLUS). Structured along temporal, scalar, and paradigmatic dimensions, the model positions phronesis as an essential organizational metacapability for navigating paradoxes. It is concluded that reconciling prestige and purpose requires a profound reconfiguration of governance and evaluation systems, enabling HEIs to operate as critical nodes in the construction of a more just and sustainable academic future.