The world’s governments engage in negotiations over economic issues with one another and with others every week. Yet social science still does not understand this process well enough. Good new research is being done but it is somewhat scattered and in need of integration.

At this site you can learn what is being published today and what new research is underway. The distinctive focus is on the process of international negotiation—meaning things negotiators and mediators do--on economic or environmental issues. The publications listed here all touch on this process, even when it is not the primary subject.

Publications that say nothing explicitly about the process of international negotiation will not generally be found here. This site does not attempt to report on all publications that could be related--such as proposals for negotiations; technical work on the issues, relevant markets, and laws; international institutions in which negotiations take place; and the natures of participating states.

This site represents an informal network of scholars, officials, and others who share an interest in explaining, generalizing about, and improving negotiations concerning international trade, finance, investment, migration, or the environment.

Most members share a common interest in research that is theoretically guided and that will improve empirically-grounded theory. They are also interested in using theory to improve practice, and they are not partisans of any single perspective—theoretical, methodological, political, or national. All members engage in research on related subjects as well, and you can learn about their other work from links to their home pages in many cases.

The purposes of this virtual network are to provide information about new projects and publications on this important subject, and over the medium term to foster greater integration of knowledge, possibly including more collaborations across national and disciplinary boundaries.

Please click on What's New to see the latest projects and publications, and on Archive for earlier publications. For background works see Selected Bibliography.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please write to John Odell at odell@usc.edu; for technical inquires contact Rebecca Rice at ricera@usc.edu.

 

Updated 4/2009