3. AMERICAN
UNIVERSIT
Y
School of International Service Research
ALL AVAILABLE
INFORMATIONDESIRESSELF-INTERESTS
RATIONAL ACTORS ACT WITH…
WHAT IF?CONSISTENCYUTILITY MAXIMIZATIONOPTIMIZATION IN MIND
4. AMERICAN
UNIVERSIT
Y
School of International Service Research
WE OFTEN USE THE WORD
“RATIONAL” TO DESCRIBE ACTORS
IN GOVERNMENT, POLITICS, AND
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS BUT
WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
5. AMERICAN
UNIVERSIT
Y
School of International Service Research
THIS STUDY EXPLORES:
• Rational Choice Theory
• Its meanings
• How scholars understand it
• Major Commonalities
• Major Differences
8. AMERICAN
UNIVERSIT
Y
School of International Service Research
SELECTION CRITERIA
• Peer Reviewed
• Journal Articles or Book Excerpts
• Foundational: Argue for Rat. Choice to be #1
or argue that it is #1
• Engage in Explicit Confrontation with other
theories
• Rationality = cognitive mechanism for single
actor decision making, not holistic state
actions
9. AMERICAN
UNIVERSIT
Y
School of International Service Research
Russell Hardin, One for all: The logic of group conflict
(excerpts) Princeton University Press. NJ, USA (1995)
Robert Keohane, “Rational choice theory and international
law Insights and limitations,” Journal of Legal Studies, vol.
XXXI (January 2002)
Robert Jervis, “Hypothesis on Misperception,” World Politics
20, No. 3 (April 1968): 454-479.
Miles Kahler, “Rationality in International Relations,”
International Organization, Vol. 52, No. 4 (Autumn 1998): 919-
941
10. AMERICAN
UNIVERSIT
Y
School of International Service Research
SYNTHETIC SORTING MECHANISM
• Based on theory construction
• Identified four areas important to
understanding theory
• Definitions, Assumptions,
Conceptualizations, Ontology
• This mechanism is as important to the
research as the findings themselves
11. AMERICAN
UNIVERSIT
Y
School of International Service Research
SYNTHETIC SORTING MECHANISM
1ST READ-THROUGH 2ND READ-THROUGH
Definitions
Assumptions
Concepts
Ontology
Definitions
Assumptions
Concepts
Ontology
12. AMERICAN
UNIVERSIT
Y
School of International Service Research
SYNTHETIC SORTING MECHANISM
Definitions
Assumptions
Concepts
Ontology
Hardin JervisKeohane Kahler
Definitions
Assumptions
Concepts
Ontology
Definitions
Assumptions
Concepts
Ontology
Definitions
Assumptions
Concepts
Ontology
14. AMERICAN
UNIVERSIT
Y
School of International Service Research
DEFINITIONSASSUMPTIONSCONCEPTUALIZATIONSONTOLOGY
Agreement: Rat. Choice is behavioral, psychologically
individual, and about utility maximization.
Disagreement: Rat. Choice is an ideal type not
representative of typical behavior. (Keohane)
“If we finally construct a rational choice theory of something, we
will often… claim we have an understanding or an explaination of
real people’s behavior.” -Hardin
Agreement: Rat. Choice actors act on desires,
self-interests, and with all available information.
“International relations has always been a realm of reason
only in part, claimed by both passions and interests.” –Kahler
“First, it must be the best means for realizing an individual’s
desires… Finally, the person must collect an optimal amount
of evidence...” -Keohane
Nuances:
Knowledge and Interests can be effected by past
experiences and social construction.
Rational choices are not consciously justifiable and
may not give self-pleasure exclusively.
“Of course, this definition of rationality turns it into an ideal type. No action is
ever… perfectly rational. But we can certainly make judgements about whether the
behavior of particular agents approximates rationality or whether, like Hitler’s, it
flunks the informational tests.” -Keohane
Agreement: Rat. Choice is rooted in individualism.
Individualism is about avoiding the insecurity of
collectivism.
“The argument [for rational individualism] also has a
back of the hand, because the characteristics that make
for group success often, although not always, lead to
perverse results, just as [they] … led to perverse results
in Smith’s time.” -Hardin
16. AMERICAN
UNIVERSIT
Y
School of International Service Research
POSSIBLE LIMITATIONS
IMPLICATIONS
Not Expansive Enough
Not From Preeminent
Scholars
Conceptual patterns
not significant
Expanded Selection
Criteria
Google Scholar
Citation Hits
Deeper textual
analysis
Rules of the Road
Sharpen Commonalities
Allow for better debate/conversation on
decision making
