Mathematical model sheds light on the hidden psychology behind authoritarian decision-making
A recent study suggests that authoritarian leaders are most likely to initiate major democratic reforms when they possess a specific blend of impulsive optimism and rational calculation. By using mathematical models to map how political leaders process risk and reward, the research provides evidence that the path to reform often looks risky in the short term but beneficial in the long term. The findings were published in the American Journal of Political Science. Eugene Yu Ji, a postdoctoral researcher in cognitive science and computer science at the University of Waterloo and the Mila Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute, conducted the study to understand the psychological mechanisms behind major political changes. Ji, who was a postdoctoral teaching fellow at the University of Chicago during the study, wanted to explain why powerful leaders sometimes voluntarily give up control. Previous research tends to focus on the broad social and economic pressures facing a government rather than the people in charge. Ji designed this research to bridge the gap between those large-scale political dynamics and the individual cognitive processes that …
