Syllabus
Introduction, motivation, and the fundamentals
The problem of bargaining
Domestic politics and multi-level games in international negotiations
From hard bargaining to value creation and complexity management
Deadlocks, failed negotiations and institutional formation
Negotiations and the Russia-Ukraine war
Annotation
The purpose of the course is to introduce students into the various aspects of international negotiations and the problems faced by the negotiators in the international, especially multilateral setting. In sum, we try to understand the process of the emergence of cooperation among states.
The theoretical dimension of this problem is covered with the use of the bargaining theory as well as other approaches. We discuss several topics key to the process and success of international negotiations, such as the relationship between international negotiations and domestic politics, the role of negotiation deadlocks, or the problem of the negotiations' complexity.
The theoretical and readings-based component takes up approximately one half of our time and of the workload connected with the course. The other half is taken up by a simulation of multilateral (trade liberalization) negotiations that runs throughout the semester (see below for more details).
The purpose of the simulation is 1) to illustrate the concepts and theories discussed in the course and to provide students with a direct experience of the challenges of (multilateral) negotiations.