1st Edition
Routledge Handbook of Foreign Policy Analysis Methods
The disintegration and questioning of global governance structures and a re-orientation toward national politics combined with the spread of technological innovations such as big data, social media, and phenomena like fake news, populism, or questions of global health policies make it necessary for the introduction of new methods of inquiry and the adaptation of established methods in Foreign Policy Analysis (FPA). This accessible handbook offers concise chapters from expert international contributors covering a diverse range of new and established FPA methods. Embracing methodological pluralism and a belief in the value of an open discussion about methods’ assumptions and diverging positions, it provides new, state-of-the-art research approaches, as well as introductions to a range of established methods. Each chapter follows the same approach, introducing the method and its development, discussing strengths, requirements, limitations, and potential pitfalls while illustrating the method’s application using examples from empirical research. Embracing methodological pluralism and problem-oriented research that engages with real-world questions, the authors examine quantitative and qualitative traditions, rationalist and interpretivist perspectives, as well as different substantive backgrounds. The book will be of interest to a wide range of scholars and students in global politics, foreign policy, and methods-related classes across the social sciences.
Chapters 4, 25 and 32 of this book are available for free in PDF format as Open Access from the individual product page at www.routledge.com. It has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.
Foreword: The Conduct of Inquiry in Foreign Policy Analysis
Patrick Thaddeus Jackson
Part I: Introduction
1. Methods of Foreign Policy Analysis: Charting Ground, Engaging Traditions, and Opening Up Boundaries
Falk Ostermann and Patrick A. Mello
Part II: Perspectives on Foreign Policy
2. Ideas and Identity from Rationalism to Theories of Recognition
Stefano Guzzini
3. Ethnography
Iver B. Neumann
4. Norms and Norm Contestation
Phil Orchard and Antje Wiener
5. Feminism
Alexis Henshaw
6. Political Geography
Luis da Vinha
Part III: Language and Interpretive Methods
7. Discourse Analysis and Discourse Theory
Falk Ostermann and Roxanna Sjöstedt
8. Narrative Analysis
Kai Oppermann and Alexander Spencer
9. Frame Analysis
Sabine Mokry
10. Visual Analysis
Bernhard Stahl and Julian Ignatowitsch
11. Emotion Discourse Analysis
Simon Koschut
Part IV: Psychology, Roles, and Leaders
12. Role Theory
Marijke Breuning
13. The Political Psychology of Threat Assessment
Janice Gross Stein
14. Measuring Perceptions: Combining Low and High Inference Approaches to Data Analysis in International Political Communication
Natalia Chaban, Linda Jean Kenix, Svetlana Beltyukova, and Christine Fox
15. Leadership Trait Analysis
Klaus Brummer
16. Operational Code Analysis
Mark Schafer and Stephen G. Walker
17. Groupthink, Polythink, and Con-Div: Identifying Group Decision-Making Dynamics
Kasey Barr and Alex Mintz
Part V: Quantitative and Comparative Approaches
18. Comparative Foreign Policy
Huiyun Feng and Kai He
19. Quantitative Content Analysis
Gordon M. Friedrichs
20. Statistical Analysis
Sibel Oktay
21. Experimental Methods
Danielle L. Lupton and Clayton Webb
22. Game Theory
Scott Wolford
23. Public Opinion Surveys
Katja B. Kleinberg
24. Qualitative Comparative Analysis
Patrick A. Mello
Part VI: Qualitative Methods and Historical Approaches
25. Process Tracing: An Analyticist Approach
Hilde van Meegdenburg
26. Interviews
Delphine Deschaux-Dutard
27. Historical Analysis
Payam Ghalehdar
28. Oral History
Michal Onderco
29. Archival Research
Anne Kerstin Friedrich
Part VII: New Technology, Social Media, and Networks
30. Big Data Analysis
Sebastian Cujai
31. Analyzing Twitter
Andrea Schneiker
32. Discourse Network Analysis
Franz Eder
33. Text as Data
Valerio Vignoli
34. Conflict Event Data
Clionadh Raleigh and Roudabeh Kishi
Biography
Patrick A. Mello is Assistant Professor of International Security at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. His most recent book is Qualitative Comparative Analysis: An Introduction to Research Design and Application (Georgetown University Press, 2021) and he has published, among other journals, in the European Journal of International Relations, Foreign Policy Analysis, and the European Political Science Review.
Falk Ostermann is Lecturer at Kiel University. He studies the domestic contestation of foreign policy with a focus on military interventions. He is the author of Security, Defense Discourse and Identity in NATO and Europe. How France Changed Foreign Policy (Routledge, 2019) and of Die NATO (UVK/UTB, 2020). He has published, among others, in the European Political Science Review, Foreign Policy Analysis, or West European Politics.
'The editors have creatively engaged a broad array of cross-national experts who collectively have captured multiple perspectives and important advances in Foreign Policy Analysis. The result is a vital resource both for experts and those seeking an introduction to this rapidly advancing domain of inquiry.'
- Charles F. Hermann, Brent Scowcroft Chair in International Affairs, Texas A&M University'This handbook offers the reader a spectrum of methods for studying the relevance and influence of individuals and decision making on foreign policy all in one place. It challenges the reader interested in exploring the foreign policy process to consider new ways of examining how foreign policy decisions are made and the nature of those decisions. It presents us with a range of perspectives on Foreign Policy Analysis, ways of interpreting what is being perceived and by whom, how to assess the nature of the leadership setting and leaders, and how to do so with both qualitative and quantitative methods as well as new technologies. It is well worth reading and keeping handy when planning and engaging in foreign policy analysis!'
- Margaret G. Hermann, Cramer Professor of Global Affairs, Maxwell School, Syracuse University, NY, USA'In this incredibly rich collection of FPA methods, Mello and Ostermann bring together an excellent group of scholars discussing not only methods (and their tools and application) but also ontological and epistemological perspectives pertinent to Foreign Policy Analysis and International Relations. The reader gains a nuanced understanding of how to think about and analyze foreign policies. This is a thought-provoking and fascinating read for everyone who wants to (re)familiarize themselves with a broad plethora of new and more established available methods. And it is a wonderful reminder that scholarly adventures can rest on methodological pluralism.'
- Stéphanie Hofmann, Professor and Joint Chair in International Relations at the Department of Political and Social Sciences and the Robert Schuman Centre of Advanced Studies, European University Institute, Florence, Italy'The Routledge Handbook of Foreign Policy Analysis Methods makes a significant contribution to the study of and research on foreign policy by bringing together a very diverse set of methodological and analytical tools for the subfield. The Handbook is indispensable for foreign policy researchers. I highly recommend reading it and using it. It will make a lasting and beneficial impact.'
- Juliet Kaarbo, Professor of Foreign Policy, University of Edinburgh, UK'The Routledge Handbook of Foreign Policy Analysis Methods is the best and most comprehensive methodology guide for students of Foreign Policy Analysis. It shows how diverse methodologies are used in the field and it suggests how important it is to combine those different scholarly approaches in analyzing foreign policies. The rich 34 chapters make the book a “must-buy” item for scholars of International Relations and Political Science as well as practitioners involved in diplomacy and foreign policy making.'
- Atsushi Tago, Professor of International Relations, Waseda University, Japan, and Global Fellow, Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), Norway
