Interest-Based Negotiation over Natural Resources: Experimental Evidence from Liberia

Darin Christensen, Alexandra C Hartman, Cyrus Samii and Alessandro Toppeta

Journal of the European Economic Association, 2026, vol. 24, issue 3, 976-996

Abstract: We experimentally evaluate whether an interest-based negotiation training for community leaders in Liberia improves their ability to strike beneficial deals related to their land and forests. We use environmental assessments, lab-in-the-field, and surveys and find that trainees are 27% more likely to reach a beneficial agreement, and it raises the total surplus earned by $2.74 USD, which is a 42% increase. Our exploration of mechanisms indicates that the training increases trainees’ capacity to identify valuable deals, but does not improve their appraisal of their outside option. We find a reduction (0.27 standard deviations) in the exploitation of communal forestland in treated communities.

Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:oup:jeurec:v:24:y:2026:i:3:p:976-996.

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