Soft power and reputational security: An analysis of the Filipino erasmus program experience to Poland

• Main Authors: Tagalog, Eianna Faye Vallejera, Barretto, Jose Eduardo Marco Morato, Ching, Daphne Lim, Paculanan, Christian Leal
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2022
• Subjects: Cultural diplomacy > Poland; International and Area Studies
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdb_intlstud/3; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1002&context=etdb_intlstud
• Institution: De La Salle University

This study analyzes Poland's soft power through the Erasmus Program in strengthening reputational security via cultural and education diplomacy. The Erasmus Program provides an avenue for Poland, among other European Union member states, to cultivate the exchange of ideas, concepts, and values by acceptance of scholars and students, in this context, Filipino scholars, for academic exchange. The study examines these students' experiences in improving Poland's international image by becoming informal ambassadors. The research's methods include collating and analyzing the literature review, translating data provided by the Foundation for the Development of the Education System, and facilitating semi-structured interviews with 15 Filipino Erasmus students from 2012-2022. The study found that the Erasmus Program in Poland effectively utilizes cultural and education diplomacy to foster a better image and brand perception, consequently leading to better reputational security. The respondents significantly perceive these soft power influences through their immersed contact with Polish people and society, through cultural activities provided by the universities and the Erasmus Student Network, and their own discovery of the symbolic and historical elements of Poland. Keywords: Reputational Security, Soft Power, Erasmus Program, Poland, Cultural Diplomacy, and Education Diplomacy