What Is Foreign Policy Analysis?
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What is a policy and when does a policy become foreign? This introductory chapter defines foreign policy analysis (FPA). At the crossroads between the theories of international relations and public policy analysis, FPA draws on multiple disciplines. Few fields of study have embraced disciplines as varied as sociology, economics, public administration, psychology and history with the same enthusiasm. Although there are now calls for interdisciplinarity in all the social sciences, FPA can, undeniably, claim to be a leader when it comes to integrating different disciplines.
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Author information
Authors and Affiliations
- Department of Political Science, Université Laval, QC, Canada Jean-Frédéric Morin & Jonathan Paquin
- Jean-Frédéric Morin