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Robert H. Mnookin, Why Negotiations Fail: An Exploration of Barriers to the Resolution of Conflict, 8 Ohio St. J. on Disp. Resol. 235 (1993).


Abstract: This article discusses four barriers to the success of negotiations: (1) strategic; (2) principle/agent; (3) cognitive; and (4) reactive devaluation. It also suggests ways in which neutral third parties might help overcome each of these barriers. The purpose of the article is to to show that the concept of barriers provides a useful and necessary interdisciplinary vantage point for exploring why negotiations sometimes fail.