Seeking Status on the Dark Side of the Moon: Experimental Evidence from China

• In Event: Status and the Rise of China

Abstract

A growing body of scholarship finds that status concerns act as a powerful motive in world politics. However, less is known about whether displays of status actually benefit regimes domestically or internationally. Do status performances increase perceptions of a state’s rank internationally, or is status elevation elusive? Do displays of status enhance domestic perceptions of regime performance? And what accounts for heterogeneity in individual-level perceptions? To answer these questions, this article carries out a survey experiment with Chinese and American respondents. This article utilizes a real-world vignette drawing from a People’s Daily article on China’s successful launch of the Chang’e 4 lunar probe on the dark side of the moon. The survey randomly alters vignettes emphasizing potential status gains with vignettes focusing on economic or material benefits of lunar exploration. This paper offers insights into the microfoundations of why states care about status. This article also provides a theoretical framework for understanding the motivations behind China’s ambitions to become a “space power.”

Author

• Lincoln Hines, Cornell University