This report describes how insights from negotiation theory and international relations informed the design of the FAIR negotiation simulation and assesses the extent to which the theoretical expectations underlying the design were reflected in the five simulation game runs. Rather than evaluating participants’ performance, the report evaluates the simulation itself: did the institutional setting, role design, and negotiation process generate the dynamics that the theoretical framework predicted?
The FAIR simulation models bilateral negotiations on migration return and readmission between two fictional states: the European destination country Euronia and the Southern country of origin Southland, both tied by a long colonial history1. While fictional, the scenario draws on characteristics commonly found in contemporary return negotiations. Euronia seeks increased cooperation on the return of irregular migrants, whereas Southland faces the political, economic, and administrative costs associated with readmission. To move beyond a single-issue negotiation, the scenario embeds migration within a broader bilateral relationship shaped by a shared colonial history, significant economic interdependence, and an established diaspora.
This wider context creates opportunities for issue linkage across areas such as energy, development cooperation, education, labour mobility, and reintegration.