[1/3] How States Think: The Rationality of Foreign Policy (How States Think: The Rationality of Foreign Policy) (Politics column)

I read with great interest a book by John J. Mearsheimer and Sebastian Rosato, in which the authors argue with the fashionable idea that states often behave “irrationally”. They offer an applied definition of rationality, closer to engineering thinking. Decisions are based on reliable cause-effect theory, and Decisions are made through meaningful, non-forced discussion. (deliberation). The world of foreign policy lacks data and probabilities. (It's not "risk," it's uncertainty.)Therefore, “maximizing expected utility” and many of the conclusions of behavioral economics fail. By their criteria, most state decisions are rational, even if the outcome is unsuccessful.

We will talk more about the book in next.

#Economics #Leadership #Management #Data