[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-detail-37968-en":3,"doc-seo-37968-105":29,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":91},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",{"doc_id":7,"user_id":8,"nickname":9,"user_avatar":10,"doc_module":4,"category_id":11,"category_name":12,"doc_title":13,"doc_description":14,"doc_content":15,"file_id":16,"file_url":17,"file_type":18,"file_size":19,"view_count":20,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":20,"is_downloadable":20,"audit_status":20,"page_count":21,"language":22,"language_code":23,"site_id":24,"html_lang":23,"table_of_contents":25,"faqs":26,"seo_title":13,"seo_description":14,"update_tm":27,"read_time":28},37968,962075114101,"Seraphina","https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/e000253a75eb197efd?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1780044092746381165",8,"Research & Report","Soft Power: The Evolution of a Concept","Responding to editors’ request, Joseph S. Nye revisits the concept of soft power first published in 1990, outlining his approach to power and tracing the origins of soft power within international relations academic debates. He addresses criticisms of the concept, explains the relationship between coercion and voluntarism through the notion of sharp power, and concludes by describing how soft power has evolved alongside policy interests in multiple countries.","Journal of Political  \nPower  \nISSN: (Print) (Online) Journal homepage: [https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rpow21](https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rpow21)  \nSoft power: the evolution of a concept  \nJoseph S. Nye  \nTo cite this article: Joseph S. Nye (2021): Soft power: the evolution of a concept, Journal of Political Power  \nTo link to this article: [https://doi.org/10.1080/2158379X.2021.1879572](https://doi.org/10.1080/2158379X.2021.1879572)  \n Published online: 10 Feb 2021.  \n\n|  Submit your article to this journal  |\n| --- |\n|  Article views: 15 |\n|  View related articles  |\n|  View Crossmark data |\n\nFull Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at [https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=rpow21](https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=rpow21)  \nARTICLE  \nSoft power: the evolution of a concept  \nJoseph S. Nye  \nKennedy School of Government, Harvard University  \nABSTRACT  \nIn this paper, I respond to the editors request that I look back on the concept of soft power that I first published in 1990. I describe my approach to power; explain the origins ofthe soft power concept in relation to the academic debates in international relations, and respond to several criticisms of the concept. I then discuss coercion and voluntarism illustrated by the concept of sharp power, and conclude by describing the evolution of the concept in relation to policy interests of several countries.  \nARTICLE HISTORY  \nReceived 20 December 2019 Accepted 10 December 2020  \nKEYWORDS  \nsoft power; hard power; sharp power; United States; China; Europe  \nIn a thoughtful critique in this journal, Ivan Bakalov states that my work is ‘the main reference point within the body of scholarly literature on soft power’ (Bakalov 2019, p. 130). I have never claimed to have invented soft power. That would be absurd since the power behavior is as old as human history. I even start one of my works with a quotation from Lao Tsu in 630 BCE. But as Bakalov says,‘even if soft-power practice has its origins elsewhere . . . .scholars still acknowledge the fact that the Harvard professor was the one who coined the term “soft power” and still juxtapose their arguments against his’(Bakalov 2019, p. 130) .  \nAll concepts arise in a context, and contexts change. Stephanie Winkler has carefully traced the history of the concept of soft power over the past three decades. (Winkler 2020) . As someone who has long been interested in the interaction between ideas and political behavior (Nye 1965), I hope it might be useful to describe how I see the evolution of the concept of soft power, even at the risk of seeming unduly self-referential. My view is certainly not definitive, but at least it is unique.  \nMy definition of power  \nLike many basic ideas in social science, power is a contested concept. No one definition is accepted by all who use the word, and people’s choice of definition reflects their interestsand values (Dahl 1961, Bachrach and Baratz 1963, March 1966; Lukes 2005) . Some define power as the ability to make or resist change. Others say it is the ability to get what we want (Boulding 1989, p. 15) . This broad definition includes power over nature as well as over other people. Given my background and interests in international relations and  \nCONTACT Joseph S. Nye  [Joseph_Nye@hks.harvard.edu](Joseph_Nye@hks.harvard.edu)  Kennedy School, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. 02138  \nThe author is grateful to Robert O. Keohane and Alexander Vuving for comments.  \n© 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group  \n2  J. S. NYE  \nforeign policy, I started with the simple dictionary definition that power is the capacity todo things, but more specifically in social situations, the ability to affect others to get the outcomes one wants. There are many factors that affect our ability to get what we want and they vary with the context of the relationship.  \nHumans live in a web of inherited social forces, some of","cbCaihCUuLaEA0MT","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaihCUuLaEA0MT","pdf",514467,1,14,"English","en",105,"# Abstract\n# Soft power in power debates\n## Origins in international relations\n## Criticisms and clarifications\n## Sharp power, coercion, and voluntarism\n## Evolution and policy implications","[{\"question\":\"Why does Joseph S. Nye revisit the concept of soft power in this paper?\",\"answer\":\"He responds to the editors’ request to look back at the soft power concept first published in 1990, explaining his approach and how the idea developed over time.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the paper relate soft power to coercion and voluntarism?\",\"answer\":\"It discusses coercion and voluntarism using the concept of sharp power, highlighting how different modes of influence operate.\"},{\"question\":\"What does Nye say about the evolution of soft power in relation to policy interests?\",\"answer\":\"The conclusion describes how the concept of soft power has evolved in connection with the policy interests of several countries.\"}]",1783056868,35,{"code":4,"msg":30,"data":31},"ok",{"site_id":24,"language":23,"slug":32,"title":13,"keywords":33,"description":14,"schema_data":34,"social_meta":86,"head_meta":88,"extra_data":90,"updated_unix":27},"soft-power-the-evolution-of-a-concept","",{"@graph":35,"@context":85},[36,53,68],{"@type":37,"itemListElement":38},"BreadcrumbList",[39,43,47,50],{"item":40,"name":41,"@type":42,"position":20},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":44,"name":45,"@type":42,"position":46},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":48,"name":12,"@type":42,"position":49},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":51,"name":13,"@type":42,"position":52},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/soft-power-the-evolution-of-a-concept/37968/",4,{"url":51,"name":13,"@type":54,"author":55,"headline":13,"publisher":57,"fileFormat":60,"inLanguage":23,"description":14,"dateModified":61,"datePublished":62,"encodingFormat":60,"isAccessibleForFree":63,"interactionStatistic":64},"DigitalDocument",{"name":9,"@type":56},"Person",{"url":40,"name":58,"@type":59},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-07-06","2026-07-03",true,{"@type":65,"interactionType":66,"userInteractionCount":20},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":67},"ViewAction",{"@type":69,"mainEntity":70},"FAQPage",[71,77,81],{"name":72,"@type":73,"acceptedAnswer":74},"Why does Joseph S. 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