| This dissertation takes as a point of departure Theodore Moran's dynamic bargaining model, which posits that resource-rich developing countries ascend a bargaining learning curve in their negotiations with multinational corporations and do better for themselves over time. Moran's theory is applied to three new case studies---Kazakhstan, Nigeria, and Indonesia---to test whether it holds across relevant, yet diverse scenarios. The dissertation utilizes game theory to systematize both the application of the theory and the analysis of the bargaining, combining quantitative and qualitative methodologies. It investigates the possibility that developing countries may systematically utilize game theory to better understand how to be efficient negotiators and, in this way, ascend the bargaining learning curve at an accelerated rate. |
