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Article
Negotiations in the Public Sector: Applying Negotiation Theory to Multiparty Conflicts
Négociations
  • Sanda Kaufman, Cleveland State University
  • Connie Ozawa
  • Deborah Shmueli
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2018
Abstract

Collaborative processes in the public sector involve multiple parties at scales ranging from the very local, to city-wide, and to regional. While facilitation/mediation of these processes relies heavily on negotiation theory, much of the literature focuses on two-party (dyadic) interactions. To explore whether multiparty processes warrant special theoretical/practical consideration, we analyze multiparty cases at three scales: a land use dispute in a small Israeli locality; a transportation/land use conflict in a city in Oregon; and a planning effort in the Northeast Ohio region. We find that some negotiation theory elements hold true in multiparty situations, although often at a heightened level of intensity and complexity. However, important qualitative differences call for added research attention. The cases illuminate seven areas typical of multiparty negotiations that warrant further study: interdependent “BATNAs,” long time frames and changing political contexts, multiple sequential and parallel processes, challenges of representation, alliances and coalitions, information and communication flows, and concerns about interventions, agreement types, and decision rules.

DOI
10.3917/neg.029.0059
Citation Information
Sanda Kaufman, Connie Ozawa and Deborah Shmueli. "Negotiations in the Public Sector: Applying Negotiation Theory to Multiparty Conflicts" Négociations Iss. 29 (2018) p. 59 - 73
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/sanda_kaufman/54/