Conflict and its management

Thirty years ago, Alan Altshuler, in a devastating critique that has never been effectively answered, challenged the legitimacy of comprehensive planning and of planners' expertise. He called on the field to reinforce its theoretical arsenal. This article takes up his challenge, contending that not only have practices now arisen that make comprehensive planning possible, but also political and social theory has evolved to provide its intellectual grounding. The article argues that consensus building with stakeholders offers a model for planning that responds to each of Altshuler's critiques. Consensus building is shown to be founded on assumptions about the nature of knowledge, about the organization of interests, and about the nature of the public interest that differ from those Altshuler applied. Evidence is taken from eight in-depth case studies of consensus building over growth and environmental issues in California, and from a study of the New Jersey state planning process. The article concl...

Planning Through Consensus Building: A New View of the Comprehensive Planning Ideal

Leaders in public affairs identify tools and instruments for the new governance through networks of public, private, and nonprofit organizations. We argue the new governance also involves people—the tool makers and tool users—and the processes through which they participate in the work of government. Practitioners are using new quasi-legislative and quasi-judicial governance processes, including deliberative democracy, e-democracy, public conversations, participatory budgeting, citizen juries, study circles, collaborative policy making, and alternative dispute resolution, to permit citizens and stakeholders to actively participate in the work of government. We assess the existing legal infrastructure authorizing public managers to use new governance processes and discuss a selection of quasi-legislative and quasi-judicial new governance processes in international, federal, state, and local public institutions. We conclude that public administration needs to address these processes in teaching and research to help the public sector develop and use informed best practices.

/pdf/the-new-governance-practices-and-processes-for-stakeholder-43notsvs2w.pdf

The New Governance: Practices and Processes for Stakeholder and Citizen Participation in the Work of Government

INTRODUCTION 532 Other Procedures for Dealing with Opposing Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 532 THE STUDY OF NEGOTIATION 533 ISSUES, LIMITS, AND OUTCOMES IN NEGOTIATION . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . .. 535 The Nature of Issues . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .... . . " . . . " . . . .. . . . . . " . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 535 Options, Limits, and Outcomes . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . " . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . " . . . . . . "" 535 Determinants of Limits ... . . . . . . . . . " . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 537 MOTIVATION AND STRATEGY IN N EGOTIATION...... . . . . . . . . . . . . 538 Strategic Choice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 538 Motivational Orientations . .. . . . . . . . . " . . " . . . . """",,. """,,",,"".. . . . . 539 The Dual Concern Model . . . . . ... " . . . . . . . . . . "" . . . . . . """". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 539 Research on Concession Making .. . . .. . . ... . ... ........ . .. . . .. . . . . . .. . ... ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 543 Research on Contending. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... . .. . 548 Research on Problem Solving . . . . . . . . . . " . . ". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 550 Conclusions about Motivation and Strategy . .. . . .. . .... ". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 553 COGNITIVE PROCESSES IN NEGOTIATION 553 Heuristics and Biases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 554 Schematic 1nformation Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . " . . . . . . ". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 557 Perspective on the Cognitive Approach """"""""""""""""""""""""""" 559 MEDIATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 56 1 History and Literature . . . . . . . . .. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . .. . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . .. . .... . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . 56 1 Mediation Effectiveness . . .. .... .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 562

Negotiation and mediation

What planners do most is talk and interact; it is through communicative practice that they influence public action. This paper contends that communicative planning requires a new concept of information and how it influences action—namely, a concept of communicative rationality, supplementing instrumental rationality. Drawing on the author's research on the role of information in policy processes, and on Habermas's views of communicative action and rationality, the paper makes three main points. First, information in communicative practice influences by becoming embedded in understandings, practices and institutions, rather than by being used as evidence. Second, the process by which the information is produced and agreed on is crucial and must include substantial debate among key players and a social process to develop shared meaning for the information. Third, many types of information count, other than “objective” information. A concluding note urges planning researchers and educators to put mo...

Information in Communicative Planning

UNDERSTANDING DISPUTE RESOLUTION AND MEDIATION Approaches to Managing and Resolving Conflict How Mediation Works LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR EFFECTIVE MEDIATION Initial Contacts with the Disputing Parties Selecting a Strategy to Guide Mediation Collecting and Analyzing Background Information Designing a Detailed Plan for Mediation Building Trust and Cooperation CONDUCTING PRODUCTIVE MEDIATION Beginning the Mediation Session Defining Issues and Setting an Agenda Uncovering Hidden Interests of the Disputing Parties Generating Options for Settlement REACHING A SETTLEMENT Assessing Options for Settlement Final Bargaining Achieving Formal Settlement Strategies for Dealing with Special Situations 

Christopher W. Moore

Papers

The Mediation Process: Practical Strategies for Resolving Conflict