Abstract
We experimentally evaluate whether an interest-based negotiation (IBN) 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.
Darin Christensen
Associate Professor of Public Policy and Political Science
Associate Professor of Public Policy working on the political economy of conflict and development