Global Korea Scholarship Program (GKS): an exploratory analysis based on the Program Theory Evaluation

Abstract

For the past two decades, Korea has developed many strategies to increase soft power as part of a public diplomacy policy. The Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) Program, one amongst others, is considered an important tool to achieve this goal. This poster is part of a broader study that seeks to analyze the GKS according to the Program Theory Evaluation proposed by Funnel and Rogers (2011). For this work, the GKS will be analyzed according to the theory of change and a theory of action. Primary evidence has shown the implementation of scholarships for elite incoming students has helped to build a positive Korea's global image and national brand, which corroborates the idea that scholarship and academic exchange are an important education policy as well as a foreign policy strategy.