DELIBERATION IN NEGOTIATIONS

7000 words Abstract: Arguments are all pervasive in negotiations; and yet, conventional negotiation theories often treat them as merely epiphenomenal to power and interests. The past decade, however, witnessed a growing interest in theories of deliberation and their application at the international level. This article takes stock of the state of the art. It argues that the “delibera-tive turn ” has forced both rationalist and constructivist scholars to refine their arguments and reconsider their methodology. We argue that the new research frontier for constructivists is in assessing under which circumstances arguments affect negotiating actors ‟ preferences, and subsequently lead to outcomes that are not easily explained in pure bargaining terms