MAINTAINING SYSTEM STABILITY - CONTRIBUTIONS TO PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS

This article examines the ways and degrees to which nation-states part icipate in and financially support United Nations peacekeeping operati ons (UN PKOs). The authors contend that UN PKOs are impure public good s whose provision conforms to expectations from public goods theory th at deals with the provision of impure public goods and club goods, and much less to the hegemonic stability variant of the public goods appr oach. Conceptual arguments are followed by an examination of general p atterns of UN PKOs, personnel and financial contributions to them, and the U.S. role in them. The authors conclude that the post-cold war pe riod has seen a notable increase in the volume of provision of peaceke eping and in the quantity and diversity of contributors and beneficiar ies. They recognize the difficulties posed by recent U.S. nonpayments and suggest the possibility of adjustments that will reestablish the f inancial basis that continuing substantial provision will require.