Planning Foreign Policy Systematically

Mathematical Foreign Policy Planning

Bibliographic Data

ID10071453
AuthorsDonald A Sylvan (The Ohio State University, corresponding author)
Year1979
Volume23
Issue1
Pages139-173
Publication date1979-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Conflict Resolution (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-0027 • E-ISSN: 1552-8766
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/002200277902300108
OpenAlexW2316025752
LanguageEN
References cited13

An approach to planning foreign policy systematically is presented. It is seen as an appropriate planning aid in situations where some form of goals can be stated, the subject matter is “well understood,” and potential disturbances in the patterns of interrelationship between variables are identifiable. After placing this approach in the context of other planning and decision-making arguments and schemes, an example dealing with choosing a foreign assistance policy is offered to illustrate steps involved in mathematical planning. Those steps are goal setting and weighting, establishing normatively set constraints, relating variables, determining initial conditions, and numerical evaluation of alternative policies. In the foreign assistance example, computer simulation is employed to accomplish the final step

Context (archaeology · Economics · Foreign policy · Management science · Operations research · Political science · Politics · Set (abstract data type · Subject matter · Weighting · Complex Systems and Decision Making · Computer Science · Law · Mathematics

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