Imitation In International Relations

Imitation and emulation are two mechanisms of competition in international relations that are theoretically posited but empirically diffuse. Goldsmith provides a trenchant overview of the extant literature and evidence, finding that specification and operationalization problems may explain the disconnect. Providing a distinctive and generalizable approach drawing on concepts from psychology and organizational behavior, this book refines theories of foreign policy to include observational learning to identify when imitation is likely and what behaviors are most imitated. Both statistical and case study methods are used to uncover patterns of analogy usage. Looking at Russia and the Ukraine, Goldsmith increases our understanding of the foreign policies of these two states while also expanding the empirical base of research. By exploring the practical and theoretical significance of learning and imitation, this is an important contribution for foreign policy professionals and scholars.

"When do state leaders draw foreign policy lessons from the historical experience of other countries? Ben Goldsmith in his book, Imitation in International Relations, provides new insights and answers to this critical question by a compelling combination of theoretical analysis, statistical tests, and comparative cases studies. This book represents a major contribution to scholarship on when and why learning takes place in foreign policy. This book is a must read for students of foreign policy decision making."
—Paul Huth, University of Michigan

"We know that state elites often watch carefully their counterparts in other states. Too often, however, scholars have built ad hoc theories of imitation, policy transfer, and demonstration effects. Goldsmith's ambitious book locates an explanation of why and when state elites will draw lessons from the experience of other states inside a broader theory of foreign policy. It thus advances our understanding of this important phenomenon."
—Wade Jacoby, Brigham Young University

"This innovative study of foreign policy perceptions and decisions compares Russian and Ukrainian attitudes toward privatization and foreign investment in the 1990's, highlighting contrasting views toward the Soviet past in Moscow and Ky'iv. It enriches our understanding of how elites maneuvered unchartered and challenging territory in the first decade after the collapse of communism."
—Dr. Angela Stent, Georgetown University.

Ben Goldsmith is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Politics & International Relations, Macquarie University, Australia. His research and teaching are in the areas of international relations, comparative foreign policy, and political psychology. Articles by him have appeared in leading academic journals including the Journal of Conflict Resolution and International Interactions. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science (Michigan 2001) and an M.A. in Russian Area Studies (Georgetown 1995), and speaks Ukrainian and Russian. He has previously taught at universities in the United States and Singapore.