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The Effect of Dynamic and Static Choice Sets on Political Decision Making: An Analysis Using the Decision Board Platform

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2014

Alex Mintz ,
Nehemia Geva ,
Steven B. Redd  and
Amy Carnes
Alex Mintz
Affiliation:
Texas A&M University
Nehemia Geva
Affiliation:
Texas A&M University
Steven B. Redd
Affiliation:
Texas A&M University
Amy Carnes
Affiliation:
Texas A&M University
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Abstract

Previous studies of political decision making have used only “static” choice sets, where alternatives are “fixed” and are a priori known to the decision maker. We assess the effect of a dynamic choice set (new alternatives appear during the decision process) on strategy selection and choice in international politics. We suggest that decision makers use a mixture of decision strategies when making decisions in a two-stage process consisting of an initial screening of available alternatives, and a selection of the best one from the subset of remaining alternatives. To test the effects of dynamic and static choice sets on the decision process we introduce a computer-based “process tracer” in a study of top-ranking officers in the U.S. Air Force. The results show that (1) national security decision makers use a mixture of strategies in arriving at a decision, and (2) strategy selection and choice are significantly influenced by the structure of the choice set (static versus dynamic).

Type
Articles
Information
American Political Science Review , Volume 91 , Issue 3 , September 1997 , pp. 553 - 566
Copyright
Copyright © American Political Science Association 1997

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