PROSPECT-THEORY AND POLITICAL PSYCHOLOGY - INTRODUCTION

In this special issue of Political Psychology, political scientists and psychologists join forces to explore the possibility that the insights of prospect theory can be used to explain political phenomena. in doing so, they not only develop a sense of the questions which prospect theory is best suited to address, but also examine empirical evidence that the theory can provide a more convincing explanation of some historical cases of foreign policy decision-making behavior than its major competitors. Their conclusions about prospect theory's future potential for enriching political analysis are thus grounded in an assessment of its performance in explaining actual cases.