@article{Denemark_2021, title={Pre-Emptive Decline}, volume={27}, url={https://jwsr.pitt.edu/ojs/jwsr/article/view/1030}, DOI={10.5195/jwsr.2021.1030}, abstractNote={<p>Why do hegemonic powers appear to have so few viable policy levers with which to cope with their fears of decline, and often adopt policies that are least well-suited, if not antithetical to the task? In this work I suggest that status threat generates a set of typical and quite maladaptive responses at both the individual/organizational level, and in the context of popular political culture, that exacerbate decline. This phenomenon, “pre-emptive decline,” is evident in both elite-driven policy and mass political responses and is reviewed here in maladaptive courses of action adopted in 19th century Britain, and in the contemporary United States.</p>}, number={1}, journal={Journal of World-Systems Research}, author={Denemark, Robert}, year={2021}, month={Mar.}, pages={149–176} }