| ID | 101611 |
| Title Proper | Leaders' conceptual complexity and foreign policy change |
| Other Title Information | comparing the Bill Clinton and George W. Bush foreign policies toward China |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Yang, Yi Edward |
| Publication | 2010. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | Present research on foreign policy change (FPC) focuses on systemic-structural variables and domestic politics as key causal factors motivating states to change their foreign policy behaviour. Recent works also look towards decision context and bureaucratic politics to explain FPC. 1 In this article, I concur with Walter Carlsnaes 2 in arguing that attention should focus more on exploring the role of human agents, i.e. leaders that make actual foreign policy decisions, when explaining and predicting FPC. Specifically, I use the leadership traits analysis (LTA) framework to argue that a leader's level of conceptual complexity interacts with external stimuli (system- and/or domestic-level factors) to affect: (i) the leader's willingness to change course in response to policy failure and (ii) the type of changes that the leader is likely to carry out. |
| `In' analytical Note | Chinese Journal of International Politics Vol. 3, No. 4; Win 2010: p415-446 |
| Journal Source | Chinese Journal of International Politics Vol. 3, No. 4; Win 2010: p415-446 |
| Key Words | China - Foreign Policy ; Foreign Policy ; Bill Clinton ; W Bush ; America - Foreign Policy - China ; China - Foreign Policy - America |