Asian Higher Education as Soft Power?

Abstract

Abstract In recent years, several governments are astutely embedding higher education initiatives in their foreign policies to accrue soft power through public diplomacy and extend beyond the realpolitik of military and trade interactions (i.e., hard power). While strategies such as the recruitment of international students and the provision of technical assistance are not new, analyses of soft power demand an integration of concepts from the field of higher education and international relations. This chapter first identifies the key theoretical misconceptions and methodological oversights in using soft power as an analytical lens. The analysis then examines four Asian states with different power resources and their strategies for the internationalization of higher education: Singapore (dynamic small power), Taiwan (constrained power), Japan (classic middle power), and China (emerging superpower). The chapter ends with a discussion on the challenges of converting soft power resources to behavioral outcomes and the implications for future research on soft power.