Desire to bargain and negotiation success: lessons about the need to negotiate from six hydropower disputes

Product Type: Journal Article

Year: 1998

Author(s): Burkardt, N., B.L. Lamb, and J.G. Taylor

Suggested Citation:
Burkardt, N., B.L. Lamb, and J.G. Taylor. 1998. Desire to bargain and negotiation success: lessons about the need to negotiate from six hydropower disputes. Environmental Management 22(6): 877-8.

Abstract

We investigated the notion that successful negotiations require that all parties to the dispute must have a desire to bargain. This desire is most likely to be present when the dispute exhibits ripeness and each party believes a bargained solution is the most cost-effective way to resolve difference. Structured interviews of participants in six Federal Energy Regulatory Commission hydropower licensing consultations were conducted to determine the level of need to negotiate for each party. The findings indicate that a need to negotiate is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for success…