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WORKING PAPER
A Bayesian Method for the Analysis of Dyadic Crisis Data
Smith, Alastair Abstract his paper examines the level of force that nations use during disputes. Suppose that two nations, A and B, are involved in a dispute. Each nation chooses the level of violence that it is prepared to use in order to achieve its objectives. Since there are two opponents making decisions, the outcome of the crisis is determined by a bivariate rather than univariate process. I propose a bivariate ordered discrete choice model to examine the relationship between nation A's decision to use force, nation B's decision to use force, and a series of explanatory variables. The model is estimated in the Bayesian context using a Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation technique. I analyze Bueno de Mesquita and Lalman's (1992) dyadically coded version of the Militarized Interstate Dispute data (Gochman and Moaz 1984). Various models are compared using Bayes Factors. The results indicate that nation A's and nation B's decisions to use force can not be regarded as independent. Bayesian model comparison show that variables derived from Bueno de Mesquita's expected utility theory (1982, 1985; Bueno de Mesquita and Lalman 1986, 1992) provide the best explanatory variables for decision making in crises. Keywords Bayesian model testing Censored data Crisis data Gibbs sampling Markov chain Monte Carlo Ordered discrete choice model Strategic choice File
Uploaded 11-04-1996 Document ID Number 377 |
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