3.1 Decision making: The individual Flashcards
Which school of IR theory believes that leader-their personal characteristics- do make a difference in foreign policy and hence in international relations?
Liberalists
What happened did Nicolae Ceausescu do after his election in Romania in 1965?
He changed both the domestic and foreign policy of Romania, more independent from the Soviet Union
“Individuals and elites are also important in…” A school of IR theory
Constructivist thinking
“The structure of the international system is more important than individuals.” These schools of IR theory argue that leaders do not make much of a difference in foreign policy
Realists and radicals
When can leaders provide powerful influence?
When political institutions as unstable, young, in crisis, collapsed or have few institutional constraints
Can both Dictatorial regimes and Democracies have few institutional constraints?
Yes
- In Dictatorial regimes, top leaders are relatively free from domestic constraints like societal input and political opposition
- In Democracies, when decision-makers are high ranked, the role of constraints are muted and organizational constraints are fewer
Can the specifics of a situation determine to what extent the individual matters?
Yes. Ex: crisis situation, or central or peripheral
What did Margaret Hermann study between 1959 and 1968?
Personality characteristics of leaders through looking at spontaneous interviews
What are the 6 Characteristics to country leaders according to Margaret Hermann’s personality characteristics of leaders?
- Nationalism
- Perception of control
- Need of power
- Need for affiliation
- Conceptual complexity
- Self-confidence
Personality Characteristic:
“Strong emotional ties to nation; emphasis on national honor and dignity”
Nationalism
Personality characteristic:
“Belief in one’s ability to control events: high degree of control over situations; governments can influence state and nation”
Perception of control
Personality characteristic:
“Need to establish, maintain, and project one’s power or influence over other”
Need of power
Personality characteristic:
“Concern for establishing and maintaining friendly relations with others”
Need for affiliation
Personality characteristic:
“Ability to discuss with people, places, policies, ideas in a discerning way
Conceptual complexity
Personality characteristic:
“Individual’s sense of self-importance or image of their ability to deal adequately with the environment
self-confidence
