Justice and Negotiation: Themes and Directions

Abstract

This article examines how justice concerns arise during various stages of negotiation with attention paid to contending principles of procedural, distributive, and transitional justice. We review key themes raised by contributors to this special issue. The themes reveal that justice has many facets and surfaces in many contexts. The facets include the role played by voice, the utility of universal definitions of justice, the use of morality arguments, the salience of the equality principle, and the challenges of complex negotiating forums. The contexts vary from single to multiple case analyses. Looking forward, we suggest a number of issues for further research. These include the voice versus exit debate, culturally-sensitive definitions of justice, different forms taken by equality, and how best to develop the skills needed for implementing justice principles. These are a sampling of the issues that pave the way for future scholarship on the role of justice in negotiation.