The evolving science of negotiation alternatives: New contexts, new perspectives.

We review the past decade (2016 - present) of empirical research on negotiation alternatives across multiple disciplines, including dyadic bargaining, international trade, and civil conflict interventions. Three themes emerged in our analysis: First, research has focused on how the effects of a negotiator's BATNA (best alternative to a negotiated agreement) are not person-invariant but are instead moderated by the characteristics of the party who "holds" the BATNA. Second, studies are establishing the conditions under which negotiation alternatives can backfire and hurt a negotiator's performance. Third, an emerging stream of research challenges our conventional understanding of BATNA by highlighting its perceptual nature and the possibility that it may exist on multiple levels within a given negotiation. We close by outlining future directions for each of these emerging themes.