What is political judgement? Why do politicians exhibit such contrasting thought styles in making decisions, even when they agree ideologically? What happens when governments with contrasting thought styles have to deal with each other? In this book Perri 6 presents a fresh, rigorous explanatory theory of judgement, its varieties and its consequences, drawing upon Durkheim and Douglas. He argues that policy makers will understand - and misunderstand - their problems and choices in ways that reproduce their own social organisation. This theory is developed by using the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 as an extended case study, examining the decision-making of the Kennedy, Castro and Khrushchev regimes. Explaining Political Judgement is the first comprehensive study to show what a neo-Durkheimian institutional approach can offer to political science and to the social sciences generally.

‘Drawing upon neo-Durkheimian social anthropology, Perri 6 demonstrates the profound relevance of social and institutional context to an old issue (political judgment) in a familiar historical case (the Cuban Missile Crisis). This bold, refreshing, deeply fascinating cross-disciplinary foray challenges us to rethink our understandings of both.’

David A. Welch - CIGI Chair of Global Security, Balsillie School of International Affairs

‘It requires a good deal of courage to undertake an analysis of the Cuban Missile Crisis, given the iconic status of … Essence of Decision. Perri 6 has, however, done just that and done it in an interesting and important way. One does not have to agree with the arguments, but they can not be ignored. This is a fresh and theoretically intriguing approach to political judgment in general and the Crisis in particular.’

B. Guy Peters - Maurice Falk Professor of American Government, University of Pittsburgh