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Model Building With Prospect Theory: A Cognitive Approach to International Relations
Author(s) -
Berejikian Jeffrey D.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
political psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.419
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1467-9221
pISSN - 0162-895X
DOI - 10.1111/0162-895x.00306
Subject(s) - rational choice theory (criminology) , international relations theory , prospect theory , politics , set (abstract data type) , grounded theory , positive economics , international relations , epistemology , sociology , management science , economics , political science , computer science , social science , microeconomics , law , qualitative research , philosophy , programming language , criminology
Despite the growing call for new models of politics grounded in the capacities of real–world decision–makers, much international relations theory still incorporates rationalist assumptions. Scholars defend such assumptions as the best way to produce parsimonious theoretical structures. Recent attempts to deploy prospect theory in the study of international politics are consistent with the call for empirically grounded models of political behavior. However, past attempts have often emphasized individualized comparisons of prospect theory with rational choice at the expense of building deductive theory. The analysis here demonstrates that prospect theory can produce deductive models for empirical comparison with those already manufactured under rational choice. The result is a new set of propositions concerning international politics securely anchored to the actual capacities of human actors.