Analysis of International Negotiations. Methodological Reflections on the Application of the Two-level Game Theor

Abstract

Putnam’s theory of the two-level games has been recognized for its merit of making explicit the linkages between the domestic level and the systemic level, while it allows to order negotiations with multiple vectors. However, its usefulness for the analysis of specific negotiation processes may be limited by being too schematic and by sustaining some assumptions inconsistent with reality. For that reason this work aims to identify what are the most common methodological difficulties of implementing the framework of two-level games, analyzing multilateral negotiations in the realm of the WTO and bilateral negotiations in which one of the negotiators is a non-State actor (IMF), both with Argentina's participation. Based on the research experience derived from our ph.d dissertations, and on a review of the literature of the area, three alternatives are proposed to address these difficulties: the incorporation of negotiator’s bounded rationality, the possibility of randomness and the consideration of the negotiation as a dynamic process.

Key words