Negotiation and Dispute Resolution in the Public Sector
Investigates social conflict and distributional disputes in the public sector. While theoretical aspects of conflict and consensus building are considered, focus is on the practice of negotiation and dispute resolution. Comparisons between unassisted and assisted negotiation are reviewed along with the techniques of facilitation and mediation.
Spring 2021
Conventional legislative, administrative, and judicial means of resolving resource allocation and policy disputes in the public sector often produce less than satisfactory results. This is true in democracies around the world. Planners, policy-makers, developers, and advocates of the poor who are concerned about the fairness, efficiency, stability, and wisdom of public sector decision-making are searching for better ways of resolving public policy disagreements. Recent advances in the theory and practice of multi-party negotiation and dispute resolution are, therefore, of great interest. This seminar is designed for graduate students with no prior background or experience in the fields of negotiation or dispute resolution. Lectures, scenarios, case studies, video analysis, and role-play simulations are used to introduce students to the "art" and "science" of negotiation and consensus building. The class also provides an intensive opportunity for each student to build their personal theory of practice and to strengthen their negotiating capabilities.
Readings
- Avruch, Kevin (1998). Culture and Conflict Resolution. Washington, DC: United States Institute of Peace. ISBN: 9781878379825.
- Bazerman, Max H. and Margaret A. Neale (1992). Negotiating Rationally. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN: 9780029019856.
- Bowles, Hannah Riley. (2013). “Psychological Perspectives on Gender in Negotiation” in Michelle K. Ryan & Nyla R. Branscombe (eds.), The SAGE Handbook of Gender and Psychology . Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications. ISBN: 9781446203071.
- Costantino, Cathy A. and Christina Sickles Merchant (1995). Designing Conflict Management Systems: A Guide to Creating Productive and Healthy Organizations. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. ISBN: 9780787901622.
- Fisher, Roger and William Ury (2011). Getting to Yes , updated revised edition. New York: Penguin. ISBN: 9780143118756.
- Forester, John (1999). “Dealing with Deep Value Differences” in Lawrence Susskind, Sarah McKearnan, and Jennifer Thomas-Larmer (eds.), The Consensus Building Handbook . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. ISBN: 9780761908449.
- Laws, David (1999). “Representation of Stakeholder Interests” in Lawrence Susskind, Sarah McKearnan, and Jennifer Thomas-Larmer (eds.), The Consensus Building Handbook. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. ISBN: 9780761908449.
- Lewicki, Roy J. and Joseph A. Litterer (1985). “Strategy and Tactics of Distributive Bargaining” in Negotiation: Readings, Exercises, and Cases , 2nd ed. Homewood, IL: R.D. Irwin. ISBN: 9780256026344.
- Lewicki, Roy J. and Joseph A. Litterer (2009). “Strategy and Tactics of Integrative Bargaining” in Negotiation: Readings, Exercises, and Cases , 6th ed. Homewood, IL: R.D. Irwin. ISBN: 9780073530314.
- Moore, Christopher W. (1986). “How Mediation Works” in The Mediation Process: Practical Strategies for Resolving Conflict. San Francisco: Jossey Bass. ISBN: 9780875896731.
- Raiffa, Howard (1982). The Art and Science of Negotiation . Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. ISBN: 9780674048126.
- Rogers, Nancy C., Robert C. Bordone, Frank E. A. Sander, and Craig McEwen. (2013), Designing Systems and Processes for Managing Disputes . ISBN: 9781454808183.
- Schwarz, Roger M. (1994). “Group Facilitation and the Role of the Facilitator,” “What Makes Work Groups Effective” in The Skilled Facilitator: Practical Wisdom for Developing Effective Groups . San Francisco: Jossey Bass. ISBN: 9781555426385.
- Sebenius, James K. (1994). “Sequencing to Build Coalitions: With Whom Should I Talk First?” in Richard J. Zeckerhauser, Ralph L. Keeney, and James K. Sebenius (eds.), Wise Choices: Decisions, Games, and Negotiations . Boston: Harvard Business School Press. ISBN: 9780875846774.
- Shapiro, Ian (2003). The State of Democratic Theory . Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. ISBN: 9780691115474.
- Straus, David (1999). “Managing Meetings to Build Consensus” in Lawrence Susskind, Sarah McKearnan, and Jennifer Thomas-Larmer (eds.), The Consensus Building Handbook. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. ISBN: 9780761908449.
- Lawrence Susskind (2015). Good for You, Great for Me: Finding the Trading Zone and Winning at Win-Win Negotiation. Public Affairs, New York. ISBN: 9781610394253.
- Susskind, Lawrence and Jeffrey Cruikshank (1987). Breaking the Impasse: Consensual Approaches to Resolving Public Disputes . New York: Basic Books. ISBN: 9780465007509.
- Susskind, Lawrence and Jeffrey Cruikshank (2006). Breaking Robert’s Rules: The New Way to Run Your Meeting, Build Consensus, and Get Results . New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN: 9780195308365.
- Susskind, Lawrence and Larry Crump (2009). Introduction to Theory and Practice of Public Dispute Resolution ( Multiparty Negotiation , Vol. 2) London: Sage. ISBN: 9781412948128.
- Susskind, Lawrence and Patrick Field (1997). Dealing with an Angry Public: The Mutual Gains Approach to Resolving Disputes . New York: The Free Press. ISBN: 9780684823027.
- Susskind, Lawrence and Jennifer Thomas-Larmer (1999). “Conducting a Conflict Assessment” in Lawrence Susskind, Sarah McKearnan, and Jennifer Thomas-Larmer (eds.), The Consensus Building Handbook. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. ISBN: 9780761908449.
- Waldman, Ellen (ed.) (2011). Mediation Ethics: Cases and Commentaries . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. ISBN: 9780787995881.
- Roger Fisher and William Ury, Getting to Yes , 3 rd edition (Penguin, New York), 2011. ISBN: 9780143118756. This is a short paperback. Please read before the 5 th class session.
- Lawrence Susskind and Jeffrey Cruikshank, Breaking the Impasse: Consensual Approaches to Resolving Public Disputes (Basic Books, New York), 1987. ISBN: 9780465007509. This is background reading. Please read the first four chapters before the 2 nd class session.
- Lawrence Susskind and Jeffrey Cruikshank, Breaking Robert’s Rules (Oxford University Press, New York) 2006. ISBN: 9780195308365. This is background reading. Please read Part 1 before the 6 th class session.
- Lawrence Susskind, Good for You, Great for Me: Finding the Trading Zone and Winning at Win-Win Negotiation (Public Affairs, New York), 2015. ISBN: 9781610394253.
Prerequisites & course information
Prereq: None G (Spring) 4-0-8 units
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026–2027
- MIT OpenCourseWare ↗Spring 2021
- MIT OCW readings ↗
- MIT OCW calendar ↗
- MIT OCW syllabus ↗
- Historical MIT OpenCourseWare offering. Named reading entries and schedule topics are automatically extracted from the linked source pages.