Review and analysis of soft power measurement methods and indicators

According to Joseph Nye, as the creator of the theory and concept of soft power, measuring and evaluating the efficiency and effectiveness of power is a necessary thing for its practitioners. This is despite the fact that soft power is a relatively fluid concept and therefore there are different frameworks to measure it. Despite the importance of soft power in international relations, how to measure it is difficult because its indicators are variable and due to the subjective nature of some indicators, it is difficult to measure them. Therefore, considering the problems that exist regarding how to measure the soft power of countries, this article seeks to answer the question, what are the most important methods and indicators for measuring soft power? To answer this question, qualitative methodology and content analysis of existing texts and sources regarding soft power have been used.
The results showed that in a general summary, soft power measurement indicators can be classified into three main groups including feelings/emotions, impressions/opinions and behaviors, and for each of these three groups and according to the available data, different methods can be used.