Bargaining with the Strong

by Amrita Narlikar

Published 30 November 2014
This book brings together a collection of papers (originals and reprints) by the author on how the weak negotiate with the strong across international regimes. This is not only an important question of agency and empowerment for developing countries, but it also holds systemic implications for power balances as well as institutional creation and change. The book is organized around four sub-themes. The first deals with international organizations, particularly the WTO and GATT, and provides insights into the evolution of international institutions through the lens of negotiation processes.The second deals with negotiated norms in the international political economy, such as notions of fairness, legitimacy, equality and efficiency. The third examines the process whereby developing countries have attempted to exercise a voice in the international political economy, focusing on their negotiation strategies and bargaining coalitions. The final section examines the cases of Brazil and India in trade, but also compares their negotiating behavior in other international regimes. Thus, while the first two sub-themes are primarily about structure, the last two are about agency.