Theoretical Framework

Abstract

The goal of this chapter is to provide a theoretical framework for the analysis of the political actors’ strategies in political. To that end, I shall introduce the major concepts of strategic choices. Strategic action is a variant of instrumental action that includes the actors’ calculation of success with regard to the expectations about the decisions of at least one other goal-oriented actor (Habermas 1981: 127). According to Jenkins (1981: 35), strategy refers to the overall ‘plan for action’, the blueprint of activities with regard to the mobilization of resources and the series of collective actions. In elaborating their action plans, political actors take into account the rules of the game, the actors’ configuration as well as the behaviour of their adversaries. As Jasper (2006: 171) observes, ‘in strategic action, there are few rules … but many choices’. Therefore, conceptualizing and identifying the major strategic choices is a challenging task. According to Lykke (2001), an American military scholar, strategy is best expressed in terms of ‘ends’, means’, and ‘ways’. Ends refer to the objectives actors strive for. Means are the resources and the technology designed for pursuing these objectives. Ways link these two strategic elements by addressing the crucial question of how the objectives are to be achieved given the availability of resources and technology.