Multilevel Bargaining and the Negotiation of a Regional Trade Agreement: A Classroom Simulation

Abstract

This article introduces a regional trade agreement (RTA) simulation for undergraduate students. The simulation uses a multilevel bargaining framework, in which students can represent not only governments of negotiating countries but also domestic interests. By allowing students to experience international bargaining at different levels, they gain a deeper understanding of controversial international trade processes.I n recent decades, dramatic changes in higher education have led to new practices and methods, extending classroom styles beyond traditional lecture formats. Active learning and/or learner-centered teaching has burgeoned in discussions of enhancing student knowledge and skill-building. 1 Other than purely academic goals, many professors view active learning as a means for "setting students' minds on fire" (Carnes 2011, A72). Student knowledge and skills may increase through these methods, and they may be more motivated and involved in the learning process (Frederking 2005;Giovanello, Kirk, and Kromer 2013;Krain and Lantis 2006;Shellman and Turan 2006). As a result, professors have incorporated experiential learning, classroom simulations, "flipped" classrooms, web-based learning, and other techniques into their teaching practices.This article introduces a new classroom simulation that resembles the multilevel negotiations of a regional trade agreement (RTA). The concept of free trade and the practice of negotiating trade agreements continue to be a source of considerable controversy and confusion, exemplified by the ongoing case of the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations. In our experience, students find that they lack the knowledge of how trade agreements work to engage the issue beyond simplistic partisan talking points. We believe a classroom simulation provides an ideal opportunity for students to learn through experience not only the basics of international trade but also the complicated domestic politics involved.By simulating multilevel bargaining, the simulation described in this article puts students in the position of various domestic interests and requires them to negotiate at both the country and international levels. By disaggregating domestic interests, we move beyond existing country-level simulations (Switky and Avilés 2007) to give students a deeper understanding of how domestic politics-that is, coalition building, agenda setting, and the role of veto players-affects international politics. 2 This framework also allows cross-country interaction among similar groups (e.g., transnational labor cooperation), which reminds students that states do not always operate as unitary actors.Building on the structure of Stodden's (2012) simulation concerning the provision of humanitarian aid, we adapted it to RTA circumstances. Although the simulation is loosely based on real-world RTAs, 3 we use abstract countries. Our experience with using real countries is that students either try to replicate how that country acted or believe they do not know enough about its history to act on it...

Return to the Isle of Ted: Simulating the Collective Action Problem of Climate Change

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