Achieving consensus in public decision making: applying interest-based problem solving to the challenges of intergovernmental collaboration

Article Abstract:

This article examines how interests can be used to guide collaborative public decision making in an intergovernmental setting. A brief overview of the governance challenge at the local level in the United States is provided first, highlighting the unorganized nature of the domain of interlocal relations. At the local level, the need for regional solutions to public policy problems has been a major challenge for policy makers over the past decade. Jurisdictional and locality-based interests have demanded a new set of intergovernmental management skills in interlocal relations. The interest-based problem-solving process is then delineated, focusing on the application of a collaborative approach in a regional, interlocal context. Interest-based problem solving was applied in a novel way to the problem domain of interlocal relations in a setting that includes four municipalities and 13 unincorporated areas. This article concludes with a discussion of the implications of using interest-based collaborative processes in regional public decision making. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

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Toward common ground and action on repetitive strain injuries: an assessment of a Future Search conference

Article Abstract:

This article evaluates the effectiveness of the Future Search conference in addressing the problems of repetitive strain injuries. The author argues the strengths include stakeholder involvement, awareness, and increased commitment, whereas the weaknesses include the need for more participant clarity regarding expectations and greater explicitness regarding common ground.

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Toward an understanding of cognitive consensus in a group decision-making context

Article Abstract:

This article examines how group members define and conceptualize key issues. The author argues the notion of congnitive consensus provides a means to understanding group decision-making in that it integrates group, cognitive, negotiation, and decision-making research.

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