Public Disputes

Breaking the Impasse
Jeffrey Cruikshank
Informed Consent in Public Sector Dispute Resolution
February, 2008
Dispute Resolution Magazine

Informed consent is a basic premise of civil society. However, the notion of informed consent in the multi-party, political arena of public sector mediation is challenging for several reasons.

Dealing With an Angry Public

Summary: 

The Consensus Building Institute offers a new approach to public relations and crisis management that builds on a proven approach outlined in the award-winning book, Dealing With an Angry Public, by Lawrence Susskind and Patrick Field.

The Consensus Building Institute offers a new approach to public relations and crisis management that builds on a proven approach outlined in the award-winning book, Dealing With an Angry Public, by L

CBI Trainers: 
Hal Movius
CBI Trainers: 
Patrick Field

Uruguay Pulp Mills – Managing Corporate, Client, and Community Public Engagement

in

From November 2005 to March 2006, CBI staff and dispute resolution partners in Argentina and Uruguay were retained by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to assess stakeholder concerns and facilitate stakeholder involvement in a review of environmental and social impacts surrounding two controversial paper pulp mills – co-located 8 kilometers apart on the Rio Uruguay.

CBI Practitioners
Merrick Hoben
Dealing with an Angry Public
April, 1997

There are many reasons for the public to be angry. Business and government leaders have covered up mistakes, concealed evidence of potential risks, made misleading statements, and often lied. ...we want to suggest to those who advise these decision-makers...that there is a different way to successfully interact with--indeed, to negotiate with--their critics. ...Our advice is simple. But implementing our advice requires innovative, courageous, principled, and sophisticated leadership.

The Art of Public Apology
May, 2007
CBI ReportsWhile it is easy to say, “accept responsibility and admit mistakes,” it turns out it’s not so clear how to do so. Public apologies present researchers and consultants with a series of interlocking and difficult questions. 

Lawrence Susskind

Lawrence Susskind

Lawrence Susskind is Ford Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

David Fairman

David Fairman

David Fairman is Managing Director of International Programs at the Consensus Building Institute, Associate Director of the MIT-Harvard Public Disputes Program, and Lecturer in MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning.