現有國際關係研究對於霸權主導國際制度已有一定之發現，不過對崛起強權參與建構國際制度的行為傾向，則附屬於霸權的相關討論，而未獲得一定之重視。霸權論一般認為，崛起強權在未發生霸權戰爭前，只能被迫遵循霸權主導 下的國際制度，唯有在崛起強權取得霸權地位之後，方能展示是創建國際制度的領導能力。霸權論由相對物質權力層面探索的崛起強權描述，僅能凸顯霸權戰爭的爆發，未必能勾勒出崛起強權的全面行為，亦未能解釋霸權繼承者的條件。

發生霸權更迭之前，並非沒有發生崛起強權參與建構國際制度的案例，例如德意志帝國在 1878 年主持柏林公會，解決東歐巴爾幹問題，更於 1885 年的柏林會議中達成列強瓜分非洲的行為準則;美國在 1922 年主導華盛頓會議，成功地就列強的海軍軍備管制與列強在亞太努力範圍問題，達成協議。

探索崛起強權參與國際制度建構過程的歷史實踐後發現，國際制度是崛起強權與霸權之間的權力競合場域，霸權並不擁有主導國際制度創建過程的專利，面臨其他競爭者的壓力，崛起強權亦能透過策略結盟，成就是創建國際制度的主 導性地位。

The exploration of the rising power has been subordinated to the arguments of hegemony and revisionist states. The Hegemonic Stability Theory and Power Transfer Theory have argued that the rising power has to follow international instructions set according to the hegemonic interests before the break out of hegemony war through which the rising power revolts the status quo hegemon. This approach might describe the reasons of hegemonic war; however, it might not be able to explain the overall behavior patterns of rising power in the construction of international institutions.

It is evident that before the hegemonic transition, there are cases that the rising power has participated actively in the construction of international institutions. For example, the 1878 Berlin Congress, the 1885 Berlin Conference on the West-African Question, and the 1922 Washington Conference.

This article argues that the international institutions are the arenas of power competition among the hegemon and the rising power. Relative to the hegemonic war, the domination of the international institutions construction is a more suitable beacon to clarify the final winner of the hegemonic status competition in which rising powers participate.