In: Anne Wolf (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Authoritarian Politics

Despite the intuitive appeal and empirical relevance of Nye’s soft power, the analytical shortcomings of this concept have become particularly salient in the context of authoritarian power wielders. This chapter proposes to conceptualize soft power as a form of influence that is perceived positively by the target. In doing so, the chapter aligns the intuition of soft power with established conceptualizations of power that emphasize audience perceptions. Applicable to democracies and autocracies alike, this approach is analytically useful and allows clarification of the relationship of soft power to related phenomena such as legitimacy and diffusion. The chapter subsequently discusses methodological issues and presents empirical insights into authoritarian soft power as well as audience responses. The conclusion identifies further gaps in the literature and proposes avenues for future research.

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