Quantitative Methods in Foreign Policy
- Micah DillardMicah DillardDepartment of Political Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- and Jon C.W. PevehouseJon C.W. PevehouseDepartment of Political Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Summary
Scholarship in international relations has taken a more quantitative turn in the past four decades. The field of foreign policy analysis was arguably the forerunner in the development and application of quantitative methodologies in international relations. From public opinion surveys to events data to experimental methods, many of the earliest uses of quantitative methodologies can be found in foreign policy analysis. On substantive questions ranging from the causes of war to the dynamics of public opinion, the analysis of data quantitatively has informed numerous debates in foreign policy analysis and international relations. Emerging quantitative methods will be useful in future efforts to analyze foreign policy.
