INTERNATIONAL EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION AS A MECHANISM OF NETWORK INFLUENCE IN KAZAKHSTAN

Abstract

This review article examines how the European Union’s international educational programs, particularly Erasmus+, Erasmus Mundus, Tempus, and the Jean Monnet programs, function as mechanisms of network influence in Kazakhstan. Drawing on scholarly literature on soft power theory, international relations, and higher education studies, the article analyzes the structural and normative dimensions of the EU’s involvement in the educational sphere, tracing the evolution of bilateral cooperation. The review demonstrates that EU programs have contributed to the development of academic mobility networks, curriculum reform, institutional partnerships, and the dissemination of values within Kazakhstani universities. These networks generate enduring forms of influence that extend beyond individual academic exchanges, shaping institutional culture, governance norms, and geopolitical orientations. The article situates this dynamic within broader debates on soft power, norm diffusion, and great-power competition in Central Asia.