Effect of National Status on Delegate Participation and Influence in an International Organization

Abstract

The effect of an individual's social status upon behavior in group setting i.e., the status generalization phenomenon-is a recurrent theme in socialpsychological and sociological studies. The present study examines the effect of status (of national status) upon delegate behavior in an international organization, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations. It concludes that: (1) delegates from high status nations tend to be more influential and active than delegates from low status nations; (2) high national status per se is not sufficient to generate delegate influence; to be influential, delegates need to be active; (3) of three national status indicators-diplomatic status, size of delegation, and budgetary contribution-the latter one is the most important; and (4) a high frequency of participation is sufficient to generate influence.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

ALGER, C. F. Interaction in a committee of the UN General Assembly. In J. D. Singer (Ed.), Quantitative international politics. New York: The Free Press , 1963.

BALES, R. F. Interactional process analysis: A method for the study of small groups. Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley , 1951.

BARBER, B. Social stratification. New York: Harcourt, Brace, & World , 1967.

CAUDILL, W. The psychiatric hospital as a small society. Cambridge: Harvard University Press , 1958.

THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL . Economic and social council, Official records. New York: The United Nations , 1960, 1961, 1962.

HARVEY, O. J. An experimental approach to the study of status relations in informal groups . American Sociological Review, 1953, 18, 357-367 .

HOMANS, G. C. Social behavior: Its elementary forms. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World , 1961.

HURWITZ, J. I. , ZANDER, A. F. , & HYMOVITCH, B. Some effects of power on the relations among group members. In D. Cartwright & A. Zander (Eds.), Group dynamics: Research and theory. Evanston, Ill.: Row, Peterson , 1953.

KATZ, I. , & COHEN, M. The effects of training Negroes upon cooperative problem solving in bi-racial teams . Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1962, 64, 319-325 .

10.

KATZ, I. , GOLDSTON, J. , & BENJAMIN, L. Behavior and productivity and biracial work groups . Human Relations, 1958, 11, 123-141 .

11.

KATZ, I. , & BENJAMIN, L. Effects of white authoritarianism in bi-racial work groups . Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1960, 61, 448-456 .

12.

KELLY, H. H. Communication in experimentally created hierarchies . Human Relations, 1951, 4, 39-56 .

13.

MOORE, J. General status characteristics and specific performance expectations. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Stanford University, 1966.

14.

MOORE, J. Status and influence in small group interactions . Sociometry, 1968, 31, 47-63 .

15.

SHERIF, M. , HARVEY, O. J. , & WHITE, B. J. Status in experimentally produced groups . American Journal of Sociology, 1955, 60, 370-379 .

16.

SINGER, J. D. , & SMALL, M. The composition and status ordering of the international system: 1815-1940 . World Politics, 1966, 18, 236-282 .

17.

STEINBERG, S. H. (Ed.). The statesman's yearbook. New York: St. Martin's Press , 1962-1963.

18.

STRODTBECK, F. L. Husband-wife interaction over revealed differences . American Sociological Review, 1951, 16, 468-473 .

19.

STRODTBECK, F. L. , JAMES, R. M. , & HAWKINS, C. Social status in jury deliberations . American Sociological Review, 1957, 22, 713-719 .

20.

STRODTBECK, F. L. , & MANN, R. D. Sex role differentiation in jury deliberations . Sociometry, 1956, 19, 3-11 .

21.

TORRANCE, E. P. Some consequences of power differences on decision-making in permanent and temporary three-man groups . Research Studies, State College of Washington, 1954, 22, 130-140 .

22.

WHYTE, W. F. Street corner society: The social structure of an Italian slum. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press , 1943.