The Price of Prestige

12 chapter one

displays of consumption because such participation can boost their popu-

larity through a sense of national pride. Yet this fails to explain citizens’

preferences. In many ways, this argument takes us full circle, back to the

starting point of our discussion — in the absence of a theory of conspicu-

ous consumption, it is difficult to explain why bewildering expenditure of

public funds — for a sports event, a moon landing, or an aircraft carrier —

would generate a frenzy of national pride. It is the combination of the do-

mestic dynamics of social identity theory (especially through “basking in

reflected glory”) and the international patterns of conspicuous consump-

tion that generate this wave of national pride. These patterns of national

pride are therefore not an alternative explanation but rather part and par-

cel of the dynamics of prestige in a group setting.

Some variants of social identity theory focus on member identification

with the group as well as members’ willingness to partake in prosocial group-

related activities. Kelman ( 1961 ) argues that groups that are perceived as

successful generate higher levels of identification, leading members to ex-

perience the group’s successes and failures vicariously (Kagan 1958 ). Stud-

ies suggest that strong identification with a group is often correlated with

voluntary participation in costly group- enhancing activities (Cialdini et al.

1976 ; Fisher and Wakefield 1988 ; Dutton, Dukerich, and Harquail 1994 ).

As this theory predicts, respondents in Russia and in China report a greater

sense of national identity during and after hosting their respective Olympic

games (Wolfe 2015 ; Ying, Kolstad, and Yang 2013 ). Accordingly, if we apply

the “basking in reflected glory” argument to international relations, we can

expect a national group that enjoys high international prestige to benefit

from a stronger and more cohesive sense of national identity and a greater

level of good citizenship. Therefore, an investment in prestige- enhancing

policies can be seen as a tool for enhancing in- group cohesion.^28 In the case

of Sochi, observers indeed saw the games as an instrument to promote a

new sense of Russianness (Wolfe 2015 ).

Intergroup competition for prestige relies on the ability to compare

and assess the relative prestige endowments of different actors (Festinger

1954 ). However, because prestige is a latent attribute, it can only be as-

sessed indirectly. While we cannot measure prestige, we can anticipate

how a prestigious actor may look and behave. Consequently, prestige can

be vulnerable to deception. Actors can purchase the symbols of prestige

without ever possessing the qualities they supposedly signal. Manipula-

tion can occur through what Morgenthau calls “policies of prestige”—

policies that seek to control and enhance an actor’s image (Morgenthau