Prestige and punishment: Status symbols and the danger of white elephants
Paul Beaumont,
Lucas de Oliveira Paes,
Cristiana Maglia
Abstract:This article identifies and unpacks the intrinsic potential for backlash in the pursuit of status symbols. While status loss has been associated with domestic pushback and reduced legitimacy for ruling governments, the literature on status is yet to examine how status-seeking can backfire even when a state can successfully claim to have acquired a status symbol. We contend that status backlashes are an inherent risk of status-seeking due to the multivocality of costly status symbols. Our heuristic framework fo… Show more
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