explaining conspicuous consumption 3
again, prestige is associated with expensive policies of dubious material
merit. Finally, the failure of the US F- 20 program offers another useful
illustration. The F- 20 was developed in the late 1970 s as a cheaper fighter
plane. It was thought that poorer countries would find such a plane an at-
tractive alternative to other, more expensive fighters. However, the F- 20
found no market. States preferred to have very small forces of expensive
fighters rather than larger and more able forces of cheaper ones (Eyre
and Suchman 1996 , 93 ). The symbolic value of owning a top- of- the- line
fighter was proven to be higher than the value of having a larger, cheaper,
and more effective fighter force. Ironically, reducing the cost of the F- 20
fighter made it less attractive to its most likely customers.^3
The Veblenian framework provides one simple unifying explanation for
these disparate examples. The preference for excess is explained through
the dynamics of conspicuous consumption. Indeed, in all these examples,
actors engage in expensive behavior in the hope of gaining prestige: China
wishes to be recognized as a superpower; Brazil aspires to join the ranks of
the major powers; poorer countries reject the F- 20 to avoid a humiliating
label. Rushdie’s Elephant King similarly uses an extravagant ivory- covered
tower in order to emphasize his aspirations to greatness. These actors are
sensitive to the way in which their consumption decisions affect their social
standing. In all these examples, actors show at least a rudimentary level of
reflexivity regarding the connection between costly conspicuous consump-
tion and international prestige.
Like these actors, in this book I take conspicuous consumption seri-
ously. I argue that the study of international “luxuries” is not frivolous
but is rather key to a deeper understanding of the implications of prestige
in international relations. Identifying the international equivalent of the
Prada handbag or the Rolls Royce is a theoretical hook that can allow
us to start unpacking the notoriously elusive concept of prestige. Con-
spicuous consumption does not cover all possible prestige- seeking behav-
iors in international relations. Nevertheless, it is important and distinct
enough to warrant special attention. Indeed, the many examples that are
sprinkled throughout this book demonstrate that conspicuous consump-
tion has discernable empirical implications that cannot easily be fully ac-
counted for by traditional explanations such as those relying on deter-
rence or domestic or bureaucratic politics. Consequently, I hope that the
discussion in this book can highlight the potential utility and importance
of further development of a broader theory of prestige in international
relations and that the argument offered here can serve as an important
