Relative gain, in
international relations
International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such a ...
, is the actions of
states only in respect to power balances and without regard to other factors, such as
economics
Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.
Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analyzes ...
. In international relations, cooperation may be necessary to balance power, but concerns about relative gains will limit that cooperation due to the low quality of information about other states' behavior and interests.
Such relative-gains concerns, however, may sometimes be mitigated by individual
social preferences Social preferences describe the human tendency to not only care about one's own material payoff, but also the reference group's payoff or/and the intention that leads to the payoff. Social preferences are studied extensively in behavioral and experi ...
.
Relative gain is related to
zero-sum game
Zero-sum game is a mathematical representation in game theory and economic theory of a situation which involves two sides, where the result is an advantage for one side and an equivalent loss for the other. In other words, player one's gain is e ...
, which states that wealth cannot be expanded and the only way a state can become richer is to take wealth from another state.
It differs from
absolute gain, which is the total effect of a decision on the state or organization, regardless of gains made by others.
References
International relations terminology
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