The Politics of U.S Foreign
Policy
Chapter 9
History: Patterns of
Policymaking
Globalization
Preeminence
Rise or Restriction of presidential power
Rise of the NSC vis-à-vis State
Expansion of the national security bureaucracy
Ascent of non-security agencies
Resulting complication
Policymaking Stages
Agenda setting
Policy formulation
Policy implementation
Theory: Models of
Decisionmaking
Rational Actor
Groupthink
Governmental politics
Organizational process
Rational Actor
Ideal type – decision and implementation
Pyramid of authority
President dominates hierarchy
Information and advice flow directly to president
Decisions based on advice and information
EOP staff manages bureaucratic response
Rational, centralized and responsive
Groupthink
Overestimate competency
Stereotype out-groups
Rationalize decisions
Pressure to conform, self-censorship
Illusion of consensus
Examples: Johnson, Reagan, Bush
Governmental Politics Model
Pluralism
Diffusion of power
Competition
Compromise
Organizational Process Model
Bureaucracy: information, alternatives and
implementation
The bureaucracy as an independent driving force
Decentralized
Feudal
Contradictions and incoherence
Incremental
Policymaking Levels
Presidential
Bureaucratic
Cognition and Perception
Cognitive structures of belief
Selective memory
Selective attention and perception
Causal inference
Cognitive stability
Dominant Theories
Cognitive consistency theory: consistency seekers
Schema theory: cognitive misers
Common Patterns of
Perception and Misperception
Categorization and stereotyping
Simplifying causal inference
Historical analogies
Personality and
Decisionmaking
Johnson
Reagan
Bush
Obama
Stress and Decisionmaking
Low and moderate stress levels
High stress levels
Short term, long term
Crisis and Stress
Heighten salience of time
Reduce size of policymaking group
Reduce tolerance for ambiguity
Increase cognitive rigidity
Encourage selective search for information
Produce concern for immediate future
Minimize communication
Increase ad hoc communication
Limit alternatives
Increase likelihood of polarized choice
Disrupt complex learning