This book goes beyond the theoretical debate over the status of US hegemony to offer an empirical test of the hegemonic stability proposition linking US hegemonic leadership to the supply of postwar economic liberalism as a public good. By downplaying the 'benevolence' and 'unilateralism' of the US role in constructing postwar liberalism, the book is able to emphasize the reality of interstate politics in creating postwar liberalism as involving important contributions by the weaker states.