Political Gaming and Foreign Policy Making during Crises

Bibliographic Data

ID6411226
AuthorsRobert Mandel (Lewis & Clark College, corresponding author)
Year1977
Volume29
Issue4
Pages610-625
Publication date1977-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueWorld Politics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0043-8871 • E-ISSN: 1086-3338
PublisherProject MUSE (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.2307/2010041
OpenAlexW2313474412
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited17

This article evaluates one means—political gaming—for coping with the distorted processes and perceptions that are present in foreign policy making during crises. Political games are exercises in which teams representing national governments meet and discuss crisis situations presented in scenarios. American foreign policy makers have engaged in this activity since the late logo's at the RAND Corporation, M.I.T., the Pentagon, and the C.I.A. Several hypotheses are developed on the changes in decisionmaking processes generated through political gaming, and on the nature of international perceptions during crises, as reflected through political gaming. These hypotheses are evaluated by means of data from the only unclassified professional-level games on international crises (those at RAND and M.I.T.), from a series of student games conducted at Yale, and from insights gained by the author's direction of two C.I.A. games. The results show that political gaming is indeed effective in improving decision making during crises, and they introduce some new aspects into accepted wisdom about international perceptions during crises

Coping (psychology · Corporation · Economics · Foreign policy · International relations · Management · Pentagon · Perception · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Rand corporation · Innovative Teaching Methodologies in Social Sciences · Law · Political Influence and Corporate Strategies · Political Science Research and Education · Psychology

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