Making Research on Foreign Policy Decision Making More Dynamic

In: International studies review, Band 8, Heft 3, S. 537-554

Abstract

As the first part of a special journal forum on "Making Research on Foreign Policy Decision Making More Dynamic," Kuperman identifies deficiencies in extant frameworks used to analyze foreign policy & calls for greater attention to the structure of the decision-making process involved in policy formation. A distinction is made between "ad hoc," "sequential," & "dynamic" decision processes (& elements within those processes) & guidelines are offered for identifying the "decision episodes" involved in each type; the roles of experience & decision structures in decision-making processes are also delineated. The process by which researchers can empirically implement a dynamic decision-making framework is outlined. As the second part of a special journal forum on "Making Research on Foreign Policy Decision Making More Dynamic," Ozkececi-Taner reviews current studies from the fields of international relations & foreign policy analysis to examine how foreign policy is shaped through a series of dynamic, sequential processes. Contributions from the literatures on cybernetics, escalation of commitment, iterative games, & international negotiation to the understanding of foreign policy decision making are identified. A general schema for sequential/dynamic foreign policy decision making is outlined. Tables, References. K. Hyatt Stewart