Singapore is the only ASEAN nation to be included in “The Soft Power 30”, an annual study that ranks the public image of countries around the world.

Singapore is ranked 21st out of 30, ahead of countries like China, Brazil, Turkey and Russia.

France leads the pack, followed by the UK and Germany.

What is soft power?

Soft power has many definitions, but broadly, soft power is the measure of a country's ability to use "non-material capabilities" to obtain its objectives.

This may include things like culture, reputation and the appeal of a country's values, instead of threatening another country with the threat of military force or economic sanctions.

The Soft Power 30

“The Soft Power 30” was launched in 2015 and is conducted annually, in partnership with the University of Southern California’s Center on Public Diplomacy (CPD).

It ranks countries based on the following criteria:

• Culture
• Digital
• Education
• Enterprise
• Global Engagement
• Government

Singapore's report card

So, how well did Singapore do?

We can take some pride in the fact that Singapore topped the world in the Enterprise sub-category, for the fourth year in a row.

The report said:

"The Enterprise sub-index aims to capture the attractiveness of a country's business model, its capacity for innovation, and its regulatory framework.

Singapore's leading performances in business friendliness and talent competitiveness, as well as healthy levels of foreign direct investment continue to be key contributing factors to its world-beating score."

It added that Singapore's growing strength in research and development, as seen in growing patent numbers and spending, is another plus point.

Improvement in Culture needed

But Singapore has some work to do in areas like Culture and Engagement.

In these areas, Singapore continues to "lag behind other major developed economies”.

However, certain one-off events helped out, such as hosting the Trump-Kim Summit, and even the release of the Crazy Rich Asians movie, which was set in Singapore.

Singapore has unique strengths

The report's lead author Jonathan McClory said that Singapore's unique strength comes from our combination of business friendliness and digital readiness.

However, Singapore could do better by showcasing its rich, diverse culture and taking the lead on international issues like the environment, religious tolerance and data protection.

Retired Singaporean diplomat, Bilahari Kausikan, wrote an essay for the 2019 report.

He wrote:

"Both at home and abroad, rule of law has been critical to Singapore’s development, security, and prosperity. As an open, outward-looking trading nation, Singapore depends on clear, enforced rules when it comes to trade, navigation, finance, and dispute resolution."

Bilahari also made the point that Singapore's soft power is backed up by hard power, with a respectable military and heavy spending on national defence.

You can check out the rest of the report at the Soft Power 30 website.

Photo by Lily Banse on Unsplash.