Micro-foundations of the Quest for Status: Testing Self-Status Perception and the Multilateral Use of Force

Abstract

Research on status in international relations has expanded in the last few decades. The key empirical studies suggest that status concern generates an incentive for initiating international conflicts since unilateral military engagement is believed to increase the status of a country. We concur with this argument. However, a further study should be conducted to find whether “multilateral” military engagement can change status perceptions and therefore be related to international politics over status. The test is important since the multilateral use of force is distinct from the unilateral use of force in its theoretical background and its connotation in world politics. In our experiment conducted in Japan, we treat the information on the multilateral use of force, and examine whether variations of the treatment information change people’s self-perception over their country’s international status. The results show that participation in a multilateral use of force increases and an early departure from the multilateral mission out of casualty concerns decreases their country’s self-status perception. Also, we successfully identify that the people who have a high social dominance orientation trait are more susceptible to such information.