ABSTRACT
Policy negotiations depend on the power and objectives of the agents involved. The outcome depends on the tradeoffs each agent is prepared to make over the period in which negotiations take place. The possible outcomes that may develop are crucially dependent on the context within which agents make decisions and negotiations occur. As an agent becomes more enmeshed in negotiations with other agents in order to pursue its interests, it has to adapt its approach and views, even if this runs against the interests of its members or senior management. These mechanisms of adjustment can be formal or informal. Networks of negotiations themselves influence the power of an agent. Generally the more central an agent within a network the greater is its power. The outcomes of a given process of negotiation depend on the distribution of power, resources and agent objectives at any given point in time.
