Education policy as an element of “soft power” in Great Brittan

Abstract

Usage of “soft power” as a foreign policy resource is currently present in majority of countries, but the effectiveness and response from the soft power strategy among leading countries is much higher than that of emerging centers of power. This article presents the analysis of the transition from “hard power” to “soft power”, examining the most competitive area – education policy, which represents the key vector of humanitarian diplomacy on advancement of national interests. In addition to assessment of the British education potential, the article also demonstrates how Brittan’s policy affects the foreign policy and country’s position in the port, defines the potential of influence upon other countries in the context attractiveness of British national culture and values, as well as sets the global trends for education policy. In the course of daily research of the resource of “soft power”, the research employs the data on measurement of “hard-soft power”, ratings of assessment of the index of “soft power” (The Soft Power 30), QS World University Ranking; utilizes the data on the number of foreign students in UK; conducts comparative analysis of the changes in the UK education policy in the conditions of Brexit. The relevance of this research is defined by the heightened interest towards soft-power component, which allows to not only be more flexible in the approach towards advancement of national interests, but also contributes to influence of other countries in the context of “soft power”.