The Power of Nations: Measuring What Matters
@article{Beckley2018ThePO, title={The Power of Nations: Measuring What Matters}, author={Michael Beckley}, journal={International Security}, year={2018}, volume={43}, pages={7-44} }
Power is the most important variable in world politics, but scholars and policy analysts systematically mismeasure it. Most studies evaluate countries’ power using broad indicators of economic and military resources, such as gross domestic product and military spending, that tally their wealth and military assets without deducting the costs they pay to police, protect, and serve their people. As a result, standard indicators exaggerate the wealth and military power of poor, populous countries…
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