The Global Ranking Regime And The Rede?ned Mission Of Higher Education In The Post-covid Era.- An Introduction.- Conceptualization And Theory Building.- Rank Scholarship Today.- Local Knowledge When Ranking Journals.- The Ranking Regime And The Production Of Knowledge.- Academic Publishing In South African Universities.- Vernacular Scholarship.- The Ssci Syndrome.- Cases, Contexts And Re?ections.- Comparative Case Studies On Research Assessment Exercises In China, Hong Kong, And Japan.- Measuring By Numbers.- The Case Of Taiwan.- The Paradox Of Autonomy.- The Shifting Sands Of Academic Output.- Audit Culture And Academic Production.- Global Research Productivity Rivalry.- Actors And Roles.- In League: The Brave New World Of Higher Education.- Conclusion.