^ That is undoubtedly true (although one can quibble with the details and the fact that it values quantity over quality). But let's give him that. Still, I think this success and the power that comes with has gotten into his head. He thinks of himself bigger than he actually his. And such types can dangerous men.
Also, let's face it, while he was the guy who initiated the ranking and exposed the abysmal quality of German academic economics, it's not that the time was not ripe, either. Had he done this ranking in the 1980s, he would have been quelled and crushed by the C4 ideologues. There were simply enough young, eager guys (with an international education) around to actually put the ranking to more or less good use.