Bargaining about Bargaining

Abstract

The problem of specifying the empirical conditions of, and prescriptive guidelines for, conflict resolution in deeply divided societies such as South Africa presents a challenge to both political theorists and public policy makers. The aim of this article is to assess the prospects for conflict resolution in South Africa by evaluating two divergent theoretically informed predictions for South Africa. I draw on aspects of bargaining theories that describe the nature of the so-called bargaining problem. I conclude that successful conflict resolution in deeply divided societies such as South Africa depends on how contending political leaders respond to the constraints inherent in conflicts characterized by strategic interaction.