$0.00 – $6.50
Lawrence Susskind
Two-team, ten-person, multi-issue, co-chaired negotiation between representatives of two adjacent countries regarding the transboundary management of a severe water shortage crisis
SCENARIO:
The fictional countries of Pablo and Burford face a water crisis brought on by extreme water quality and quantity problems. The dismal water situation is largely a result of unsustainable agricultural activities in the borderlands separating the two countries.
Two years ago, the Presidents of Pablo and Burford instructed the responsible national authorities to prepare a sustainable agricultural and water protection plan. Since then, the Burford Environmental Department and the Pablo Agriculture Department having been working to organize a joint summit to negotiate the framework of such a plan. In the midst of summit planning, a new controversy regarding agrochemical pollution of borderland groundwaters emerges. The summit now has been scheduled for six months earlier than originally planned.
The summit will be co-chaired by representatives of the Burford Environmental Department and the Pablo Agriculture Department. The other participants include the Governor of the Burford border state of Grady and representatives from a number of national and international NGOs with interests in groundwater policy. The agenda includes nine decision items, and the participants are expected to reach agreement by at least a two-thirds vote on all nine items.
MAJOR LESSONS:
- Importance of agenda control
- Power of option creation
- Repercussions of voting procedures on the content and sustainability of the outcome
- Importance of reaching agreement on terms and scientific facts before negotiating
- Impact of BATNA on the negotiation
TEACHING MATERIALS:
For all parties:
- General Instructions and Information for All Parties
- Issues to Resolve
- Pablo-Burford map
- Appendices A-E (Country Information, Hydrology, Location of Borderland Aquifers, Glossary, and Evaluating Zine)
- Additional Reading References
Role-specific:
- Confidential instructions for representatives of:
- BED (Burford's federal environmental regulatory agency)
- BIO (an international consortium of 72 biotech companies)
- CONSUME (a small anti-hunger NGO in Pablo)
- EARTH (an international consortium of environmental NGOs)
- FARM (Burford Farm Association)
- Chet Freeman (Governor of the Burford border state of Grady)
- PAD (Pablo Agricultural Development)
- SUSTAIN (a nonprofit of sustainable agriculture organization from the Burford border state of North Rhine.
- TRADE (a Pablo agribusiness trade alliance)
- UNION (National Farmer's Union of Pablo)
Teacher's Package (110 pages total):
- All of the above
- Game Manager Position Summary Sheet
KEYWORDS/ THEMES:
Multi-party negotiation; science-intensive policy disputes; transboundary environmental disputes; water quality and quantity negotiations; cross-cultural negotiations; facilitation
SIMILAR SIMULATIONS:
Hitana Bay Development Simulation
Tovisaria Power Sector Simulation
IPMS Series
Managing Groundwater Beneath the Pablo-Burford Border Attributes
| Time required: | 5 or more hours |
|---|---|
| Number of participants: | 10 |
| Teams involved: | No |
| Agent present: | None |
| Neutral third party present: | None |
| Scoreable: | No |
| Teaching notes available: | No |
| Non-English version available: | Spanish |
