Influence, Power, and the Policy Process: The Case of Franz Ferdinand, 1906–1914

1974 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 417-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel R. Williamson
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Foreign Policy ◽  
Policy Process ◽  
Political Process ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
The Political ◽  
Habsburg Monarchy ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
The Military

The death of Franz Ferdinand at Sarajevo galvanized the Habsburg monarchy into its most fateful decision: the initiation of local war against Serbia. His demise, among other things, ensured Berlin's fidelity to its alliance commitment, convinced (mistakenly) the decision-makers in Vienna that monarchical solidarity would keep Russia in check, and allowed the Hungarians to breathe more easily. But the heir apparent's death may also have had an importance generally overlooked in analyzing the crisis of July 1914.1 Put simply, his disappearance suddenly altered the decision-making processes of the Habsburg monarchy. The elaborate consultative procedures involving the archduke, his military chancellery, and advisers were abruptly terminated. No longer did the joint ministers, the national ministers, the military hierarchy or the emperor's court officials have to consider the archduke and his strong, often peaceful, views on foreign policy. Even Franz Joseph was now spared the irritation of having to explain a decision to his insistent nephew. Sarajevo thus not only supplied the occasion for Vienna's decision for war, it helped, by drastically revising the political process, to accelerate that decision.

The Political Analysis of Negotiation: How Who Gets What and When

1974 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 385-399 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. William Zartman
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Collective Bargaining ◽  
Political Process ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Analysis ◽  
Underdeveloped Area ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Complex Models ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Number Of Parties

Negotiation is one of the basic political or decision-making processes, but if processes in general have been sorely neglected in political analysis, negotiation has been neglected more than most. Legislation as an institutional function has a respectable literature; as a process wherein goal values are constant and decisions are made by aggregating a sufficient number of parties to constitute a numerically superior side, it has become the subject of coalition theory. Adjudication has also given rise to a large quantity of institutional literature, although a theory explaining the process wherein a single party combines events and values to produce a decision is less well established. Similarly, diplomacy—and more recently, collective bargaining—has been thoroughly described, and economists and mathematicians using game and utility theories have developed some complex models of bargaining. But negotiation as a political process, specifically explained in terms of power, is an underdeveloped area of theory.

scholarly journals Euxenippos at Oropos

2019 ◽  
pp. 68-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugh Bowden
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Political Process ◽  
Great Influence ◽  
Fourth Century ◽  
The Political ◽  
Dream Recall ◽  
Athenian Democracy ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
The Moment

The chapter explores how divination through dream incubation was involved in the decision-making processes of the Athenian democracy. It focuses on the consultation of Amphiaraos in the mid-fourth century by a delegation including Euxenippos, which we know about from a speech of Isaios. It explores the wider evidence about the practical aspects of dream incubation, and draws on modern studies of dreaming, looking at the practice of recording dreams in writing at the moment of waking, and self-training to improve dreaming and dream recall. The chapter argues that, as in other forms of divination, Athens employed men like Euxenippos as ‘expert dreamers’, who were expected to have dreams when required, and who were supported by other Athenians, who acted as assistants and witnesses of the process. It further argues that divination by dreaming was taken seriously by the democracy, with expert dreamers having potentially great influence on decision-making, and becoming themselves inevitably part of the political process.

scholarly journals Graham Allison et le paradigme bureaucratique : vingt-cinq ans plus tard est-il encore utile ?

2005 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 769-794 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nelson Michaud
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Foreign Policy ◽  
Bureaucratic Politics ◽  
The Political ◽  
Specific Question ◽  
Decision Making Processes

Twenty-five years ago, Graham T. Allison brought to the political scientists community a new tool to help us to understand questions in the domain of Foreign Policy : the Bureaucratic Politics Model. Since then, his Essence of Decision has been one of the most read books in Universities and one of the texts most referred to in scholar works. However, it is of interest to analyze if, beyond the framework's reputation and despite the numerous criticisms addressed to it, the bureaucratic politics is still useful for someone who wishes to do analysis based on Us elements. How bureaucratic politics can still help us to better understand the decision-making processes ? Are there avenues, questions or problems that still can be better explained by referring to this scheme ? The answer we offer to these questions refers to the model's components, to an update of the evaluation several scholars made of it, and, finally, to a dynamic orientation that puts forward the paradigmatic dimension of the theory and an application to a specific question.

Declining Power and the Preventive Motivation for War

1987 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack S. Levy
Keyword(s):  
Political Process ◽  
The State ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
The Political ◽  
Military Power ◽  
Political Leaders ◽  
Political Factors ◽  
Power Differentials ◽  
Political Security ◽  
The Military

The preventive motivation for war arises from political leaders' perceptions that their states' military power and potential are declining relative to those of a rising adversary, and from their fear of the consequences of that decline. It is conceptualized as an intervening variable between changing power differentials and the outbreak of war, and is distinguished from preemption and other sources of better-now-than-later logic. The strength of the preventive motivation is hypothesized to be a function of a state's expectations regarding its rate of military decline, the margin of its inferiority in the future, the probability of a future war, and the probability of a victorious war now with acceptable costs. It is also affected by the risk orientation of decision makers; the influence of the military in the political process; and domestic political factors that undermine the political security of decision makers as well as the military power and potential of the state.

scholarly journals Populismo, Democracia e a Constituição na Venezuela / Populism, Democracy and the Constitution in Venezuela

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Alberto Antunes de Miranda
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Foreign Policy ◽  
Political Parties ◽  
Complex Traits ◽  
Political System ◽  
The Political ◽  
Democratic Institutions ◽  
Head Of State ◽  
Hugo Chavez ◽  
The Military

Resumo:O presente artigo tem como objetivo identificar o populismo, a democracia e a constituição na Venezuela. A Venezuela, por ser um país que tradicionalmente estruturava sua ação na construção da democracia representativa, na defesa da liberdade e na consolidação da integração hemisférica,passou a desenvolver, com a chegada ao poder de Hugo Chavez Frias, um marcante perfil ideológico. Dos anos cinquenta até os oitenta, ainda que tenha predominado um sistema centrista dominado por partidos e dirigentes políticos de centro, os militares exerciam uma participação indireta nas questões de Estado. No final dos anos 90, se observa que o sistema político assumiu características complexas, com a presença do Estado cada vez mais refletida na centralização do Executivo, o excessivo personalismo político do Chefe de Estado e o envolvimento de militares no sistema político, refletindo nas instituições venezuelanas.Palavras-chave: Política externa; Venezuela.; Atores; Processo decisório. Abstract:This article aims to identify populism and the fragility of democratic institutions in Venezuela. Venezuela, as a country that traditionally structured its action in the construction of a representative democracy, in defense of freedom and the consolidation of integration in the hemisphere, began to develop, with the coming to power of Hugo Chavez Frias, a remarkable ideological profile. From the fifties to the eighties, although the country was dominated by a centrist system with political parties and leaders of the center, the military exerted an indirect interest in matters of state. In the late 90s we observe that the political system became a complex traits, with the presence of the State increasingly reflected in the centralization of the Executive, excessive political personalism of the Head of State and the involvement of the military in the political system, reflecting in the Venezuelan institutions.Keywords: Foreign policy; Venezuela; Actors; Decision making.

The Role of Analogical Reasoning in Novel Foreign-Policy Situations

1996 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 523-552 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Patrick Houghton
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Foreign Policy ◽  
Analogical Reasoning ◽  
Policy Decision ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Hostage Crisis ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Policy Decision Making

A number of scholars have argued that historical analogizing plays an important role in foreign-policy decision making; the extent of that importance, however, remains largely a mystery to us. This article proposes that analogical reasoning is probably even more commonplace than previously thought, since it may play a crucial role even in ‘novel foreign policy situations’ (scenarios which appear largely unprecedented to the decision makers confronting them).One notable example of a novel foreign-policy situation is provided by the Iranian hostage crisis. Examining the Carter administration's decision-making processes during that crisis, the article concludes that even though many saw the hostage crisis as a unique occurrence, the participants drew upon a wide range of historical analogies in order to make sense of what was occuring and to propose suggested ‘solutions’ to the crisis.

Polish-Ukrainian Treaty of Good Neighbourhood. Analysis of the decision-making process

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 193-219
Author(s):  
Beata Surmacz
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Foreign Policy ◽  
Political Parties ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
The Political ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
The Game Theory ◽  
Neighbourhood Analysis ◽  
Formed Part ◽  
Intellectual Elites

2022 marks the 30th anniversary of the Treaty of Good Neighbourhood, Friendly Relations, and Cooperation between Poland and Ukraine. In the presented article, by applying elements of decision analysis, an attempt was made to explain the decision to conclude the Treaty. First, the decision-making centres in Poland and Ukraine, and their awareness with respect to Polish-Ukrainian relations, were presented as three separate circles: public opinion, political parties, and groups of the most important decision-makers. The decision to sign the treaty was possible thanks to the political and intellectual elites who originated in the former communist-era opposition, both in Poland and Ukraine. Those elites convinced the governing circles to accept their conception of foreign policy. In Poland, this was all the easier because people originating directly from those elites formed part of the decision-making bodies. In Ukraine, however, the foreign policy conception of the dissident circles was internalised by the President. Secondly, using the game theory and assuming the rationality of decision-makers, the decision-making process was reconstructed, understood in the category of interactions between two decision-making centres. The two states aimed to conclude a treaty that would satisfy both parties. It can thus be concluded that they demonstrated a readiness to compromise during the negotiations. It can also be assumed that this readiness was slightly asymmetrical in Poland’s favour. Ukraine was willing to sacrifice much more in order for the treaty to be negotiated.

Foreign Policy in the Fourth Dimension (FP4D): Locating Time in Decision-Making

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan K Beasley ◽  
Andrew R Hom
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Foreign Policy ◽  
International Relations ◽  
Policy Decision ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Fourth Dimension ◽  
Policy Tool ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Policy Decision Making

Abstract While international relations scholarship has taken a “temporal turn,” foreign policy decision-making (FPDM) research reveals little explicit theoretical attention to time. Time is an important aspect of several prominent frameworks, yet these either fail to make explicit their conception of time or fail to reflect upon the implications of their temporal assumptions and understandings. We address this lacuna by developing a timing perspective on FPDM. We present the central features of this perspective, including the nature of timing agency, temporal motivations, the timing of decision-making processes, and timing as a foreign policy tool. Illustrated with empirical examples, we show how timing plays out in FPDM and helps to shed new light on our understanding of crises and ways decision-makers may grapple with them. We conclude by considering the theoretical and empirical benefits and challenges of bridging FPDM with theoretical approaches to time.

Framing Information Technology Governance in the Public Sector: Opportunities and Challenges

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 89-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khalifa Al-Farsi ◽  
Ramzi EL Haddadeh
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Information Technology ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
It Governance ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
The Public ◽  
Technology Governance ◽  
Support Organizations ◽  
Information Technology Governance ◽  
Decision Making Processes

Information technology governance is considered one of the innovative practices that can provide support for decision-makers. Interestingly, it has become increasingly a de facto for organizations in seeking to optimise their performance. In principle, information technology governance has emerged to support organizations in the integration of information technology (IT) infrastructures and the delivery of high-quality services. On the other hand, decision-making processes in public sector organisations can be multi-faceted and complex, and decision makers play an important role in implementing technology in the public sector. The aim of this paper is to shed some light on current opportunities and challenges that IT governance is experiencing in the context of public sector services. In this respect, this paper examines the factors influencing the decision-making process to fully appreciate IT governance. Furthermore, this study focuses on combining institutional and individual perspectives to explain how individuals can take decisions in response to institutional influences.

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