Seven Secrets for Negotiating with Government: How to Deal with Local, State, National, or Foreign Governments—and Come Out Ahead

• CHAPTER TWO •

Governments Feel Different

How Negotiating with a Government Differs from

Negotiating with Anyone Else

‘‘The government’sview of theeconomycan be summed

up in a fewshortphra ses:Ifit moves,tax it. If it keeps

moving, regulate it. If it stopsmoving, subsi dize it.’’

—U.S. PRESIDENTRONALD REAGAN

1

If governments as negotiating counterparts feel different from pri-

vate organizations, it is because of two factors: the special powers

of governments and the special constraints on governments.

Governments have special powers that private persons and

companies don’t have. Microsoft is one of the wealthiest and most

technologically advanced companies in the world, but it still

doesn’t have the powers that a poor third-world government like

Bangladesh ...