International higher education and soft power in Newly Industrialised Countries 2008-2018

Puebla Mora, Martha Flor (2021) International higher education and soft power in Newly Industrialised Countries 2008-2018. PhD thesis, University of Nottingham.

[img]
Preview
PDF (Final version of the thesis with corrections made) (Thesis - as examined) - Requires a PDF viewer such as GSview, Xpdf or Adobe Acrobat Reader
Available under Licence Creative Commons Attribution.
Download (2MB) | Preview

Abstract

Soft power is an ability developed by countries to make others do what otherwise they would not, using tools such as attraction, persuasion/influence and setting agendas according to their national goals. Developed and developing countries use different tools to build soft power capabilities in different ways. This thesis investigates how International Higher Education (IHE) produces soft power in Newly Industrialised Countries (NICs), focusing on three case studies: Brazil, Malaysia and Mexico. This is a multidisciplinary study where International Relations, Politics and Education fields of study collide to increase our understanding of soft power. This research argues that Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), research centres, associations of universities and other non-governmental actors become agents of soft power using diplomacy mechanisms, challenging the traditional soft power understandings.

This research studies inbound student mobility, outbound student mobility, internationalisation of research and international mobility of programmes and providers under the soft power paradigm. A three-variant model that explains how and why IHE produces soft power shows a new approach for soft power in NICs, where soft power is a motivation to foster IHE, a consequence of IHE initiatives, or an extension of the country’s foreign policy.

Item Type: Thesis (University of Nottingham only) (PhD)
Supervisors: Matthews, Sean
Wylie, Neville
Keywords: soft power, international higher education, internationalisation of higher education, Brazil, Malaysia, Mexico, public diplomacy, cultural diplomacy, knowledge diplomacy, science diplomacy, international cooperation for development, student mobility, internationalisation of research, international programme and provider mobility, foreign policy
Subjects: J Political science > JZ International relations
L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB2300 Higher education
Faculties/Schools: UK Campuses > Faculty of Social Sciences, Law and Education > School of Politics and International Relations
Item ID: 66019
Depositing User: Puebla Mora, Martha
Date Deposited: 15 Oct 2021 04:40
Last Modified: 15 Oct 2023 04:30
URI: https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/id/eprint/66019

Actions (Archive Staff Only)

Edit View Edit View