Essence of Decision

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   A government's biggest decisions do not come from one rational mind, but from a mix of bureaucracies, institutional habits, and internal negotiations, often invisible from outside.

   Essence of Decision · 1971

   Government decisions emerge from bureaucracies, routines and internal bargaining, not from a single rational mind.

   Allison analyzed the Cuban Missile Crisis from three different angles: as a rational decision, as the result of fixed organizational routines, and as an internal bargaining game between officials. He found all three explanations were partly true, not just the single simple story usually told about it.

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