Synopses & Reviews
This book investigates how politicians, in order to convince their audiences, argue about preferences for different courses of action. The qualitative and quantitative studies presented here are based on written records and deal with a variety of foreign policy issues, countries, and political regimes. Examining the argumentation employed by Hitler and Kennedy to ministers of the Austro-Hungarian empire, the authors conclude that only six basic forms of persuasion seem to be used and understood by politicians and their audiences, and that these same approaches are used almost irrespective of the political situation. This fascinating study of political argumentation will be of interest to scholars of political communication, rhetoric, political science, and international relations.
Review
This book, the culmination of a research program of almost three decades, is a very important contribution to the study of foreign policy decision-making. This book should be of interest to all students of foreign policy decision-making.Ole R. Holsti, George V. Allen Professor Department of Political Science, Duke University
Review
The authors provide a theoretical and methodological study of decision-making approaches to specific foreign policy cases... Highly recommended for faculty involved in teaching advanced research methods classes and those interested in quantitative decision making in political science and international relations.Choice
Review
The book's findings have major implications for decision making in business and political affairs, including international affairs, and should be studied by those who are involved in such decisions as actors or researchers.Herbert A. Simon, University Professor of Computer Science and Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University
Synopsis
This book investigates political argumentation using decision theory concepts, that is, how politicans, in order to convince their audiences, argue about preferences for different courses of action.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. [255]-270) and indexes.
About the Author
IRMTRAUD N. GALLHOFER is Senior Researcher at the Sociometric Research Foundation in Amsterdam and has been engaged for more than 20 years in research on political decision-making and text analysis.WILLEM E. SARIS is Professor of Statistics and Methods at the University of Amsterdam.
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction
A Qualitative Analysis of the Argumentation of Individual Participants in Decision-Making Processes
Argumentation in the Literature
Argumentation from the Perspective of Decision Theory
Detection of Argumentations from Documents
War with Serbia or Not: The Initiation of World War I
The Initiation of World War II
The World at the Brink of a Nuclear War: October 1962
To Take Measures against Indonesia or Not, the Netherlands in the Autumn of 1948
Summary of Part I
A Quantitative Study of Arguments
The Decision Rules Are Universal
The Quality of the Arguments
Explanation of the Individual Decision-Makers' Argumentations
Factors in the Specification of Strategies
Factors in the Specification of Outcomes
Factors in the Use of Argumentation Rules
Summary of Part II
Appendix 1: Guidelines for the Construction of Decision Trees
Appendix 2: Assessing Coding Reliability
Appendix 3: Detection of Decision Rules from Interviews
References
Subject Index
Name Index