The Effects of the higher education exchange programs on the elites’ image of Brazil

This article reflects on the Brazilian educational and scientific diplomacy programs, Program for Partner Undergraduate Students (Programa de Estudantes-Convênio de Graduação – PEC-G) and Program for Partner Graduate Students (Programa de Estudantes-Convênio de Pós-Graduação – PEC-PG). The first section stands on documental analyses to fund the claim that the program was designed and functions as a soft power tool. In the suit, the article moves on to quantitative analysis aiming to explore the effects of the programs on the recipients’ image of Brazil. Although the country’s image has suffered due to the political and economic crises, the recipients of the programs reported a less negative image of the country than their peers who were not part of the program.