An Institutional Explanation of Troop Contributions in UN Peacekeeping Missions

What makes a UN member state contribute more peacekeepers to be deployed in hostile environments and place their troops at risk? A significant amount of scholarly research explores the need for, and effectiveness of, UN peacekeeping in conflict zones around the world. Few studies examine the factors that determine the size of peacekeeping contributions, and these studies do not focus on the role of neoliberal institutions. This study examines the relationship between the degree of linkages in neoliberal institutions and the size of peacekeeping contributions. I argue that the degree of linkages in neoliberal international institutions creates structural conditions that facilitate the information gathering process on the preferences and needs of UN member states and incentivize these states to contribute more peacekeeping troops. In my analysis of UN peacekeeping troop contributions data for all countries between 1990 and 2015, I find that the degree of neoliberal institutional linkages is the most consistent predictor of a UN member state’s size of peacekeeping contributions.究竟是什么因素促使联合国成员国向敌对环境部署更多维和人员，并使本国驻军面临风险？已有大量学术研究探讨了全球冲突地区联合国维和行动的必要性与实施效能。鲜有研究聚焦于决定维和贡献规模的影响因素，且此类研究均未关注新自由主义制度（neoliberal institutions）的作用。本研究旨在考察新自由主义制度关联程度与维和贡献规模之间的关联关系。本文认为，新自由主义国际制度的关联程度可构建结构性条件，既有助于收集联合国成员国的政策偏好与实际需求相关信息，同时也能激励这些国家派遣更多维和部队。通过对1990年至2015年间所有国家的联合国维和部队派遣数据进行实证分析，本文发现新自由主义制度关联程度是预测联合国成员国维和贡献规模最具一致性的指标。