The Price of Prestige

6 chapter one

some critics, because they did not carve out space for basic human motiva-

tions. In addition, the increasing sophistication of the economist’s toolbox

can also account for this resurgence. Modeling these motivations formally

is often a complicated endeavor, and it becomes easier as the field develops

methodologically.

As these trends conspire to draw renewed attention to the importance

of prestige, this relatively nascent field still struggles to find a more coher-

ent and distinguishable voice within international relations theory. As an

aggregate, the literature on prestige in international relations tends to si-

multaneously aim too high and too low: when it aims too high, it claims to

explain all international relations, especially patterns of conflict and war;

when it aims too low, it ends up being the study of curiosities and anec-

dotes. The current literature, therefore, still vacillates over the demarca-

tion of the scope and magnitude of prestige- seeking behavior in interna-

tional relations. Some of these scope issues stem from deeper problems:

there is still no widely accepted definition of prestige in international

relations; the concept remains notoriously difficult to operationalize or

measure; and there is no accepted conceptualization of the benefits of

being prestigious.

Toward a Definition of Prestige

A useful conceptualization of prestige needs to incorporate three essen-

tial attributes: prestige is social, hierarchical, and positional.^12 The social

dimension differentiates prestige from power; the hierarchical dimension

explains why prestige is such a lucrative (and hence expensive) commod-

ity; the positional dimension is what makes the struggle for prestige so

competitive. Analytically, prestige is an interesting yet slippery concept.

It straddles the material and the social, the objective and the subjective.

As such it is compatible with several theoretical paradigms but is truly at

home in none.

To date, the literature lacks a widely accepted definition of prestige.

When a definition is sought, the starting point is most often Morgenthau’s

conceptualization of prestige as a reputation for power — a psychologi-

cal image that actors hold regarding the power positions of other nations

(Morgenthau [ 1947 ] 1960 , 78 ). Similarly, Gilpin argued that “prestige is

the reputation for power, and military power in particular.... Prestige,

rather than power, is the everyday currency of international relations” (Gil-

pin 1981 , 31 , italics added). However, establishing prestige as a derivative