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Wilson, I. (2015). Ends Changed, Means Retained: Scholarship Programs, Political Influence, and Drifting Goals. The British Journal of Politics and International Relations. 17 (1): 130–151.

Learning Objective: LO 12-5: Learn about the importance of higher education globally.

Summary: This article presents an evaluation of “the opinion leader” model, the practice of offering scholarships to international students attending schools in the UK and other high-income countries, as a means of promoting future public opinion in other countries. The assumption underlying this model is that scholarship recipients have characteristics that will facilitate their careers as political, economic, and social leaders upon returning to their home countries.

Questions to Consider:

1. According to the “opinion leader” model, what is the rationale or justification to domestic constituency for national governments to spend funds in supporting the education of foreign nationals?
2. On the level of the individual, what steps or processes need to happen for the “opinion leader” model to improve public opinions in origin countries?
3. Thinking about the bureaucracy on the side of the sponsor country, which actors need to willingly support the “opinion model” before scholarships could be approved, funded, and disbursed to foreign nationals? Why would these domestic actors agree to such a method of spending domestic resources?