Conflict and dispute pervade political and policy discussions. Moreover, unequal power relations tend to heighten levels of conflict. In this context of contention, figuring out ways to accommodate others and reach solutions that are agreeable to all is a perennial challenge for activists, politicians, planners, and policymakers. John Forester is one of America's eminent scholars of progressive planning and dispute resolution in the policy arena, and inDealing with Differences he focuses on a series of 'hard cases'—conflicts that appeared to be insoluble yet which were resolved in the end. Forester ranges across the country—from Hawaii to Maryland to Washington State—and across issues—the environment, ethnic conflict, and HIV. Throughout, he focuses onhow innovative mediators settled seemingly intractable disputes. Between pessimism masquerading as 'realism' and the unrealistic idealism that 'we can all get along,' Forester identifies the middle terrain where disputes do actually get resolved in ways that offer something for all sides. Dealing with Differences serves as an authoritative and fundamentally pragmatic pathway for anyone who has to engage in the highly contentious worlds of planning and policymaking.
Format:
CONTRIBUTORS: John Forester
EAN: 9780195385908
COUNTRY: United States
PAGES:
WEIGHT: 384 g
HEIGHT: 234 cm
PUBLISHED BY: Oxford University Press Inc
DATE PUBLISHED: 2009-09-10
CITY:
GENRE: LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Linguistics / General, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Public Affairs & Administration, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Public Policy / Social Policy, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Violence in Society
WIDTH: 156 cm
SPINE:
Book Themes:
Peace studies and conflict resolution, Health, illness and addiction: social aspects, Diplomacy, Religious intolerance, persecution and conflict
Intended as a 'guide' to tackling complex social issues, Forester's book will serve as a very useful starting point for mediators and organizers alike. Many readers will benefit from reading it carefully to savor the message and reflect on the lessons, then looking for advice and inspiration, returning to it again and again.
John Forester is Professor of City and Regional Planning at Cornell University. A community mediator for 20 years, he has also served as Department Chair and Associate Dean in the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning at Cornell. His earlier books include The Deliberative Practitioner and Planning in the Face of Power. Using oral histories revealing the micro-politics of planning and mediation, he has lectured recently inSeattle, Chapel Hill, Sydney, Seoul, Tokyo, Helsinki, Palermo, Johannesburg, Sheffield, Milan and Amsterdam.
