CONSCRIPTION, PEACE-KEEPING, AND FOREIGN-ASSISTANCE - NATO BURDEN-SHARING IN THE POST-COLD-WAR ERA

This article examines burden-sharing behavior from the mid-1970s to 19 94 using conscription-adjusted data. Except for the Reagan defense bui ld-up in the early 1980s, actual defense burdens are not significantly different than average derived defense burdens. There is little sign of the exploitation hypothesis during this flexible-response era. In t he 1990s, peace-keeping missions perform more like a pure public good and display some evidence of the exploitation of the large ally by the small, NATO foreign assistance abides by the joint product model and does not imply exploitation. Dramatic changes in the 1990s appear to r einforce the tendency towards equitable burden sharing, experienced fr om the start of the flexible-response era.