This study reassesses the influential public goods theory of alliances, specifically addressing its central claim about free-riding by small participants. Previous tests suffered from model specification and generalizability issues, leaving little reliable evidence for this idea despite its prevalence.
➡️ Data & Methods
* Examines 204 alliances formed between 1919 and 2007
* Uses state-level GDP contribution to measure economic weight
* Compares military spending changes across allied states based on their economic share
➡️ Key Findings
🔍 Contrary to the theory's prediction, little evidence supports free-riding by states with a small GDP share.
➡️ Why It Matters
🤔 These results suggest that alliance security is not purely captured as a public good and may involve complex bargaining dynamics among members. The findings question the robustness of economic calculations in explaining strategic behavior within alliances.
| Reassessing the Public Goods Theory of Alliances was authored by Joshua Alley. It was published by Sage in R&P in 2021. |
