The Global Public Policy Institute in Berlin along with two German and one American universities have been measuring the level of academic freedom in 144 countries relaying on assessments of several thousand vetted experts across the world and an innovative statistical methodology. Among elements taken into consideration in the creation of the Academic Freedom Index (Afi) were freedom to research and teach, the freedom of academic exchange and dissemination, the institutional autonomy of universities, campus integrity, and the freedom of academic and cultural expression.

Recognizing university rankings unique position to shape incentives for governments, scholars, and students the authors of Academic Freedom Index in a letter addressed to the dominant university rankings suggest that they include measures of academic freedom in their assessments.

The AFi is the result of a collaborative effort between the Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, the Global Public Policy Institute in Berlin, the V-Dem Institute at Gothenburg University, and the Scholars at Risk Network based in New York.

Source:

https://www.gppi.net/media/KinzelbachEtAl_2020_Free_Universities.pdf