Public diplomacy (PD) lacks an agreed-upon definition and boundaries. The ambiguity surrounding the conceptualization of the term leads to confusion among scholars and practitioners and hinders the consolidation of PD as an academic field. This article surveys 160 articles and books on PD, categorizes diverse perspectives into a taxonomy, and explores the coherence of each. The taxonomy can be categorized into these perspectives: state-centric, neo-statist, nontraditional, society-centric, and accommodative. The article maps the boundaries of public diplomacy with much needed clear and coherent criteria and positions PD within the broader discipline of international relations.
AbstractInstructors of courses in international relations increasingly use films to facilitate students' learning of abstract concepts and to deepen their understanding of theories. This paper introduces how the fictional universes presented in films can be utilized as platforms for students to learn about the application of analytical frameworks. This method aims to enhance students' abilities to transfer learned knowledge to a different setting. Knowledge transfer requires skills that go beyond lower-order thinking. Higher-order thinking aids students' retention of concepts, and enables them to apply what they have learned to new situations. This article illustrates an application of a power taxonomy in the narrative world of the non-historical science fiction films. This exercise can easily be transported to various political science, international relations, and other courses to help students learn various analytical concepts, frameworks, and theories.
Summary The people of the two Koreas cannot communicate directly with one another. Since the early 1990s, South and North Korea have allowed a limited number of people-to-people exchanges. In this article, we map the South Korean government's theories of change regarding inter-Korean exchanges based on policy documents and semi-structured interviews with five high-level Ministry of Unification bureaucrats. We also explore the outcomes of inter-Korean exchanges, building on ten South Korean participants' insights. Our findings suggest that the primary goals of inter-Korean social and cultural exchanges have been to expand contact between the two Koreas to alleviate the sense of mutual alienation, to increase empathy and, in turn, to reduce tensions and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula. Participant interviews reveal that direct interpersonal interaction between South and North Koreans reinforces the idea of a superordinate Korean group identity.
AbstractMost governments offer scholarships for international students as part of their public diplomacy toolbox. However, empirical assessments of these programs are relatively rare. The limited number of existing works often concern Western countries, while international student mobility programs in non‐Western countries remain insufficiently researched. This special issue addresses these two gaps in the literature. All the articles utilize a unique and rich dataset of the perspectives of Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) recipients about South Korea. This dataset consists of four surveys conducted in 2018 and 2019 of GKS students, alumni, and pre‐arrival inbound students. There are over 200 variables, most of which are about GKS recipients' cognitive and affective evaluation of Korea, their Korea‐related behaviors, their perceptions of how they are treated by Koreans, their satisfaction with studying in Korea, satisfaction with university and language school, and integration into Korean society. The articles look at various aspects of GKS as a public diplomacy tool, including the determinants of positive recommendations toward Korea as a study or tourism destination, the relationship between behavioral experience, symbolic environment and communication behaviors, determinants of students' intentions to stay in the host country, gendered dynamics of the scholarship, students' perspectives on justice based on their experiences in, and beliefs about, the host country, and the determinants of students' satisfaction with life in Korea.Related Articles in this Special IssueIstad, Felicia, Eriks Varpahovskis, Ekra Miezan, and Kadir Jun Ayhan. 2021. "Global Korea Scholarship Students: Intention to Stay in the Host Country to Work or Study after Graduation." Politics & Policy 49(6): 1323–1342. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12436.Jon, Jae‐Eun, and Kadir Jun Ayhan. 2021. "Satisfied or Dissatisfied:
The Determinants of Global Korea Scholarship Recipients' Satisfaction with Life
in Korea." Politics & Policy 49(6): 1391–1414. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12437.Tam, Lisa, and Kadir Jun Ayhan. 2021. "Evaluations of People, Affection, and Recommendation for a Host Country: A Study of Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) Recipients." Politics & Policy 49(6): 1292–1307. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12438.
AbstractExtant research has examined the significance of interpersonal relationships in affecting public diplomacy outcomes. Relational public diplomacy is a long‐term approach to public diplomacy which posits the importance of people‐to‐people exchange programs that facilitate two‐way interactions between people from two different countries. Using survey data (n = 385) collected from alumni of the Global Korea Scholarship in 2018, this study found that respondents' perceptions of treatment by South Korean people influenced their comparisons of people from South Korea and their home countries. Moreover, the more highly they evaluated South Koreans compared to people in their home countries, the more likely it was that they would develop an affection and make positive recommendations toward South Korea as a destination for study and tourism. The empirical findings in this article have policy implications for scholarship programs as a public diplomacy tool beyond South Korea.Related Articles in this Special IssueAyhan, Kadir Jun, and Nancy Snow. 2021. "Introduction to the Special Issue—Global Korea Scholarship: Empirical Evaluation of a non‐Western Scholarship Program from a Public Diplomacy Perspective." Politics & Policy 49(6): 1282–1291. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12440.Jon, Jae‐Eun, and Kadir Jun Ayhan. 2021. "Satisfied or Dissatisfied: The Determinants of Global Korea Scholarship Recipients' Satisfaction with Lifein Korea." Politics & Policy 49(6): 1391–1414. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12437.Lee, Hyelim, and Nancy Snow. 2021. "Gendered Experience in Student Mobility Programs—Global Korea Scholarship Recipients' Evaluation of Korea's Country Image." Politics & Policy 49(6): 1343–1358. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12441.
Through international student mobility programs, such as Global Korea Scholarship (GKS), countries aim to influence international students' beliefs about and attitudes toward the host country. In this article, we explore GKS's role in bringing international students to the country and analyze changes in GKS students' and alumni's affective and cognitive evaluation of Korea after coming to the country. We compare results based on students' and alumni's length of stay, gender, and economic development level of their home country. Our findings suggest that after coming to Korea, GKS recipients evaluate Korea more positively in both affective and cognitive dimensions.
AbstractSponsored international student mobility programs are important public diplomacy tools for governments. These programs' positive outcomes are usually taken for granted and are rarely assessed. International students' satisfaction with life in the host country is an important variable for their behavioral outcomes related to the host country. This study used data from two surveys of Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) recipients from 136 countries to examine the determinants of their satisfaction with life in Korea. We found that students' cognitive and affective evaluations of Korea, frequency of Korean‐language social interactions, and perceptions of their treatment by Koreans because of their nationality or religion were significant determinants of GKS students' satisfaction with life in Korea. In terms of demographic characteristics, men, students from developing countries, and those majoring in natural sciences or engineering fields were more satisfied than their peers. We discuss the implications of these findings for public diplomacy.Related Articles in this Special IssueAyhan, Kadir Jun, and Nancy Snow. 2021. "Introduction to the Special Issue—Global Korea Scholarship: Empirical Evaluation of a non‐Western Scholarship Program from a Public Diplomacy Perspective." Politics & Policy 49(6): 1282–1291. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12440.Hong, Moon Suk, Minjeong Jeon, and Kadir Jun Ayhan. 2021. "International Scholarship for Social Change? Re‐contextualizing Global Scholarship Alumni's Perceptions of Justice and Diversity in South Korea." Politics & Policy 49(6): 1359–1390. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12435.Istad, Felicia, Eriks Varpahovskis, Ekra Miezan, and Kadir Jun Ayhan. 2021. "Global Korea Scholarship Students: Intention to Stay in the Host Country to Work or Study after Graduation." Politics & Policy 49(6): 1323–1342. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12436.
Through international student mobility programs, such as Global Korea Scholarship (GKS), countries aim to influence international students' beliefs about and attitudes toward the host country. In this article, we explore GKS's role in bringing international students to the country and analyze changes in GKS students' and alumni's affective and cognitive evaluation of Korea after coming to the country. We compare results based on students' and alumni's length of stay, gender, and economic development level of their home country. Our findings suggest that after coming to Korea, GKS recipients evaluate Korea more positively in both affective and cognitive dimensions.
AbstractThis study examines South Korea's international scholarship program based on responses to the Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) alumni survey to find how the participants perceive the host country's dimensions of justice and diversity. We employ the concept of justice in terms of redistribution, recognition, and representation. Analysis of GKS alumni perceptions of Korean society revealed that international mobility programs may provide positive and negative experiences for the participants depending on their positionality in terms of gender, ethnicity, and Korean language proficiency. Some had the exclusive opportunity to access global knowledge, skills, and networks. Others were exposed to unexpected misrepresentation and misframing while living and learning in the new society. We suggest the need for multidimensional policy discussions to consider both positive and negative outcomes of international scholarship programs and their potential to play a transformative role in global higher education.Related Articles in this Special IssueAyhan, Kadir Jun, and Nancy Snow. 2021. "Introduction to the Special Issue—Global Korea Scholarship: Empirical Evaluation of a non‐Western Scholarship Program from a Public Diplomacy Perspective." Politics & Policy 49(6): 1282–1291. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12440.Jon, Jae‐Eun, and Kadir Jun Ayhan. 2021. "Satisfied or Dissatisfied: The Determinants of Global Korea Scholarship Recipients' Satisfaction with Life in Korea." Politics & Policy 49(6): 1391–1414. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12437.Perez, Loarre Andreu, Myoung‐Gi Chon, Kelly Vibber, and Jeong‐Nam Kim. 2021. "Classifying Foreign Publics: Examining the Relationships Behavioral Experience, Symbolic Environment, and Communication Behaviors among Key Foreign Publics." Politics & Policy 49(6): 1308–1322. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12439
