Collective Action Problems in NATO
NATO is a rich case for collective action problems in international relations. Its formation, management, evolution and transformation presented its members with significant commitment problems of providing for, and contributing to, the production of public goods. However, NATO proofed to be highly inventive in both overcoming, and creatively using opportunities of, group member heterogeneity. The organization developed an enormously rich repertoire of both hardware and software solutions to overcome commitment and collective action problems. These arrangement ate the primary explanation for why NATO persists and is able to adjust to changing international conditions.
In: Sebastian Meyer (ed.) (2023): Research Handbook on NATO. Cheltenham, UK: Edgar Elgar, pp. 191-206.