Recent Developments in the Literature on Conflict Negotiation and Cooperation Over Shared International Fresh Waters
Posted: 13 Oct 2004
Abstract
Shared International Fresh Waters are subject to increased competition, especially in water-scarce regions. Although shared water issues have become a major regional development constraint, the approaches to solve existing and potential disputes over shared international fresh waters have lagged behind and are much less advanced than those of other natural resources that are international in nature. In our review of books and special issues published between 1992-2003, we survey the literature pertaining to conflict and cooperation over international shared waters. While we note three categories for which the literature can be categorized - theoretical, empirical, and case studies - we demonstrate that case study work and by extension theoretical work has been most dominant in the water field. Empirical work has largely been limited to individual scholarly articles and even in that regard has been minimal. The article reviews and discusses the literature in the context of several disciplines including economics, international relations, negotiation theory and international water law. We propose ideas for further research in the conclusion.
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