MIT-Harvard Mexico Negotiation Program

The MIT-Harvard Mexico Negotiation Program focuses on developing innovations in pedagogy and research that emerges from and extends beyond Mexico’s natural resource management experiences across North and Central America, by cross-pollinating and drawing upon partnerships and insights from an array of negotiations involving stakeholders in developed and emerging economies across Latin America, South East Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East. The mission is to further enhance the tools and strategies available to government and private sector managers involved in resolving disputes and shaping partnerships in water, energy, and environmental affairs, at the local, national, and international scales.

Specialized training modules, with tailored role-play simulations, are developed in collaboration with leading universities, government agencies, and research institutions. The materials focus, among other themes, on energy transition, water conservation, infrastructure investment, renewables facility siting, climate risks adaptation, sustainable forestry, responsible mining, hazardous waste management, and environmental restoration.

Skill-building ranges from negotiation preparation, to face-to-face interaction, to the implementation of agreements. The principles and strategies center on how to effectively move beyond confrontational tactics, ensure meaningful, creative stakeholder-input, translate cutting-edge scientific and economic insights into an effective decision-making process, insulate nimble agreements against spoilers, and proactively account for unpredictable circumstances to thrive in moments of crisis.

Dr. Bruno Verdini serves as Executive Director in partnership with Professor Lawrence Susskind, Director of the MIT-Harvard Public Disputes Program (based at Harvard Law School) and the MIT Science Impact Collaborative (based at MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning).
The Program supports the efforts of Mexico’s Ministry of Energy, in collaboration with the Mexican Ministries of the Environment and Foreign Affairs, and a wide array of public sector institutions, to negotiate effectively on behalf of the resource management interests of Mexico, and a wide array of stakeholders across North America.