JOSEPH NYE, an American political scientist, first coined the term “soft power” in 1990. It describes the ability to coax and persuade others, rather than coerce them. For countries, it is a way to spread influence subtly without the use of armies, sanctions or other forceful techniques.

By its nature, soft power is far harder to measure than the size and effectiveness of standing armies. In an attempt to put firm numbers to the concept, Portland, a London-based PR firm, and the University of Southern California’s Center on Public Diplomacy have created an index of soft power, the most recent update of which was released today. It is made up of two parts: 30% is based on polling data on countries’ reputations abroad; the remainder relies on concrete statistics on variables such as diplomatic missions abroad, government foreign-aid budgets, memberships of multilateral organisations and so on. Changes in the 30-country ranking, which has been running for three years, seem to show that a countryʼs perceived openness is linked to its clout abroad.

France is a prime example. In 2016 it placed fifth, whereas this year it took the top spot. This surge seems largely due to the election of Emmanuel Macron as president in May and the success of his party, La République en Marche!, in the subsequent parliamentary election in June. His pro-Europe and pro-business policies have boosted his countryʼs standing internationally.

In contrast, Britain and Americaʼs shifts towards inward-looking politics have taken a bite out of their soft power. For both countries, the slide down the rankings was caused by a drop in their reputations overseas as measured by polls included in the index. Donald Trumpʼs “America first” agenda, though only in its early stages, has spooked allies and weakened ties with the rest of the world. America fell from first to third in this yearʼs ranking. Britain slipped from the top spot in 2015 to second last year, which may have been a result of the country’s decision to vote to leave the European Union. It would probably have wound up on the bronze podium this year, had the United States not done even more than Britain did to lose friends abroad.

One country, however, has seen a perceptible change in its soft power without a dramatic change in its politics. In 2015 China ranked last among the 30 countries in the index; this year it has climbed up to 25th place. This gain was due to small improvements across a range of categories, like cultural potency and diplomatic relations with other states. And it is no accident: a decade ago its Communist Party officially made developing soft power a priority. The government now spends roughly $10bn each year on this objective, according to David Shambaugh of George Washington University. That is more than the expenditure of Britain, France, Germany, Japan and the United States combined. Whoever said money can’t buy you love should have a word with the powers that be in Beijing.