Why go to war? Why vote for change? Why vote at all, if your life is at stake? Assistant Professor of Political Science and Trice Faculty Scholar Jonathan Renshon studies the fascinating intersection of psychology and international relations, asking: what roles do culture and emotion play in the geopolitical arena?
We caught up with Renshon as he arrived fresh from a postdoctoral fellowship at the Department of Defense Analysis at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif. (after completing his Ph.D. in the Department of Government at Harvard University).
Renshon
Q: Tell us about your work and research.
A: My research interests are in the psychology of judgment and decision-making in foreign policy, and more broadly, in international security and experimental methods. About half of my work focuses on how political leaders or voters process information and make decisions, often in support of failing ventures. For example, what role did emotion play in the decision to sink resources into the Vietnam War, despite evidence that victory was unlikely? Other parts of my research are “bigger picture” studies of international relations and security studies.
Q: You have written about how power is measured on the global stage. How do people measure power?
A: In the past, political scientists have typically tried to measure things that they think should be related to power (such as military spending, or population, or even iron and steel production). In contrast, I have a recent paper (with my colleague Arthur Spirling) in which we measure power as the outcome of "contests" (conflicts or wars) in international politics. In this way, power becomes literally your ability to "get your way," to prevail over others.
Q: How did you become interested in the field?
A: Actually, my father is a political psychologist and my mother is a psychoanalyst, so I’m not sure my career path is very surprising!
Q: Is there a resource at UW-Madison that will be especially helpful to your research?
A: I’m very excited to explore and use the BRITE Lab [Behavioral Research Insights Through Experiments, a joint effort by the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business and School of Human Ecology].
Q: What courses will you teach?
A: I’ll be teaching an undergraduate course, Introduction to Political Psychology (POLI SCI 267) and a graduate seminar on Psychological Approaches to International Relations.
Q: What’s your classroom approach?
A: I think one of the most fascinating things about studying decision-making and psychology is how easy it is to relate on a personal level to the things that we study. Of course, we’ll learn about some things that are specific to politics (like how campaign ads work) but there will also be some fun exercises where students will get to see how they fare on some standard psychological tests/exercises, like a personality test or economic exchange game.
Q: Do you have a favorite campus spot?
A: So far, Memorial Union, but I just got here, so I’m sure I’ll find others soon enough!
Q: Are you planning to attend any sporting events on campus?
A: I've been in school for a long time, but I've never been at a university that had such great teams. I’m very excited to go to some UW basketball games!
To meet more new faculty members, see our full list of Q&As.