Accidental paradiplomats? The curious case of Ontario school board budgets and Canadian soft power projection
| Published date | 01 March 2024 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/00207020241232989 |
| Author | Michael P.A. Murphy |
| Date | 01 March 2024 |
Accidental paradiplomats?
The curious case of Ontario
school board budgets and
Canadian soft power
projection
Michael P.A. Murphy
Department of Political Studies, Queen’s University, Kingston,
Ontario, Canada
Abstract
From the earliest studies of soft power in International Relations, the importance of edu-
cational exchanges has been well-established. Studies of international education in the
context of Canadian soft power often draw on cases from the higher education sector.
This article argues that greater attention should be paid to the K-12 level, especially as
budgetary pressures in Ontario’s education system are leading school boards to rapidly
expand their international student recruitment efforts. Although this is not an example of
intentional soft power projection, it nevertheless represents an important reminder that
subnational actors may accidentally become paradiplomats whose actions have conse-
quences on the international level. Further, this case reveals the importance of paying
attention to actors typically overlooked by IR scholarship. Drawing on Joseph Nye’sthe-
ory of soft power and in conversation with prior research on international education as a
mechanism of soft power projection, this article traces the thread between budgetary
pressures in Ontario school boards and the broader context of soft power projection.
Keywords
soft power, Canadian foreign policy, International Relations theory, international
relations, international education, school boards, education policy, Ontario, education
funding, student exchanges
Corresponding author:
Michael P.A.Murphy, Department of Political Studies, Queen’s University,Robert Sutherland Hall, Suite 403,
138 Union St, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada.
Email: michael.murphy@queensu.ca
Scholarly Essay
International Journal
2024, Vol. 79(1) 96–110
© The Author(s) 2024
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DOI: 10.1177/00207020241232989
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