The Review of Economics and Statistics · 1966 · 1.5K citations · 0 references
Social SciencesEconomicsInternational RelationsInternational EconomicsInternational OrganizationsInternational Political EconomyAlliance GovernanceAlliance ManagementAlliance StrategyAlliance StructureInternational Strategic AlliancesJoint VenturesAlliance CooperationBest Interests AnalysisForeign AlliancesInternational AlliancesMultilateral AlliancesPublic Goods DynamicsPublic Goods ProductionPublic-goods Allocation
Abstract : The report presents a new theoretical model of military alliances and other international organizations. The assumptions basic to the model are that nations act in their own best interests and that there is a 'public goods' aspect to all joint undertakings. The main conclusions drawn from the analysis are that (1) a less than optimal amount of resources will be devoted to an alliance or other international organization; (2) the burden of an alliance will be borne in a disproportional way, the larger members paying more than their proportional share. Empirical data from NATO and the United Nations are presented in support of these conclusions.