Hudson’s hallmarks of foreign policy analysis

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Hudson, V. M. (2007). Foreign policy analysis: classics and contemporary theory (pp. 37 – 143). Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
HallmarkDescriptionExample
Multifactorial Involving or depending on several factors or causesDecision makers can be affected by; the colour of the room, level of understanding, death of a relative and other factors
MultilevelFactors that influence decision making and decision makers are clustered in 3 different levels (Individual, state and system level of analysis)The colour of the rooms, level of understand and death of a relations are factors connected to the individual level of analysis. There are more factors in the 2 other levels of analysis to consider as well
Multi-/interdisciplinarity Insights from many intellectual disciplines, such as psychology, sociology, organizational behavior, anthropology, economics and others useful for foreign policy analyst in efforts to explain foreign policy decision makingKnowledge of psychology will help in understanding how a decision maker is affected by the colour of the room or knowledge of the levels of education will help in understanding the failure of a decision maker to apply higher level of thinking in decision making
IntegrativeIntegrates a variety of information across levels of analysis and spanning numerous disciplines of human knowledgeIntegrate knowledge of psychology with the individual level of analysis
Agent-oriented theoryStates are not agents because states are abstractions and thus have no agency. Only human beings can be true agents. Agency - The state of being in action or exerting powerPolitical and bureaucratic leaders influence decision making in order to move state machinery
Actor specificBased upon the argument that all that occurs between nations and across nations is grounded in human decision makers acting singly or in groups. Source of international politics and all change in international politics is specific human beings using their agency and acting individually or in groupsPolitical and bureaucratic leaders acting in a group or singly influence decision making in order to move state machinery

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