Levels of Analysis And Foreign Policy Chapter 3 Levels of Analysis And Foreign Policy

Individual-Level Analysis Begins with view that the root it is people who make policy Involves understanding the human-decision marking process (psychology) Groupthink, Individual decisions, etc. Political Science and Psychology and Sociology

The Human Condition How do humans affect policy? Cognitive decision making: making decisions within the constraints of bounded rationality, first level of individual-level analysis External boundaries (missing data, incorrect data) may affect decisions Internal boundaries (limited physical and mental capabilities) also play a role

Decision Making Seek Cognitive Consistency Wishful Thinking—We will succeed (regardless of improbability) Heuristic Devices – a range of psychological strategies that allow people to simplify complex decisions. Examples: stereotypes, analolgies

Decision Making Emotional Factors Leaders are human too Biological Factors Ethology/Animal Instincts Socialization Intellect

Decision Making Gender Social construct developed by socialization process Gender opinion gap

Organizational Behavior Second approach to individual-level analysis People act differently depending on different settings Roles based on self-expectations and external expectations Groupthink

Leaders and Idiosyncratic Analysis Third approach to individual Idiosyncratic Analysis:– level analysis; study of humans as individuals and how each leader’s personal (idiosyncratic) characteristics help shape his or her decisions How do personal traits affect decisions?

Leaders Personality Orientations toward self and others Active-Passive and Positive- Negative Scale (Active-Negative worst—example, Nixon) 2. Physical and Mental Health 3. Personality and Ambition 4. Political History 5. Personal Experience

Rational & Irrational Factors Decisions are usually a mix of rational and irrational factors Poliheuristic Theory: Considers decision making to be a two stage process During 1st stage, leaders use shortcuts to eliminate policy options, usually for irrational personal reasons 2nd stage a more analytic process

State-Level Analysis Emphasizes the characteristics of states and how they make foreign policy choices and implement them Government Structure Interest Groups Leaders Political Forces

Types of Governments Type of government affects policy decision (authoritarian, democratic, etc) Crisis vs. Noncrisis situation (rally cry)

Type of Policy Type of policy can vary depending on the issue area Intermestic Policy: Foreign policy that has an immediate and direct domestic impact Pure foreign policy: issues that have little to no obvious impact on citizens

Political Culture Concept that refers to a society’s general, long-held, and fundamental practices and attitudes. These are based on a country’s historical experiences and on the values (norms) of its citizens. These attitudes are often an important part of how policy is made.

Who makes Foreign Policy? Political executives Bureaucracies Legislative bodies Political Opponents Interest Groups The Citizens

System-Level Analysis All systems have identifiable characteristics How Authority is Organized Scope and Level of Interaction among actors in the system

Organization of Authority Vertical Authority Structure: Subordinate unites are substantially regulated by higher levels of authority Horizontal Authority Structure: Few , if any, higher authorities in such systems; powers fragmented World stage is mostly horizontal

Organization of Authority State-centric system: anarchic, no overarching authority Anarchic nature greatly influences policy Range, frequency and intensity of interactions between nations affect decisions

Power Relationships Reality of the system Power Poles Unipolar system Power and Situation

Economic Realities Shape policy Natural Resource Production Consumption pattersn

Norms Nuking not acceptable Diversity = differences