Can Soft Power be Measured?

Abstract

This article is about a concept that has gained enormous academic and political popularity in the recent years: soft power. The study firstly focuses on the theoretical foundations of the soft power concept on the basis of Joseph S. Nye’s views. After analyzing the measurement issues involved in assessing the presence of soft power, the study exemplifies discrete attempts to resolve the issue and evaluates those attempts’ levels of success. In this way, the study tries to find an answer to the question on whether soft power should be used as a category of analysis or not.

Keywords

Soft Power, Measurability of Soft Power, Soft Power Indexes, Polls.

Citation

Yapıcı, Utku; “Can Soft Power be Measured?”, International Relations, Volume 12, Issue 47, pp. 5-25.

Affiliations

• Utku YAPICI, Assoc. Prof. Dr., Adnan Menderes University, Department of International Relations