In 2009, we collected many types of curriculum materials from teachers and trainers who attended the Mediation Pedagogy Conference. We received general materials about classes on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) as well as highly specific and idiosyncratic units like Conflict Resolution through Literature: Romeo and Juliet and a negotiating training package for female managers … Read More
Learn how to negotiate like a diplomat, think on your feet like an improv performer, and master job offer negotiation like a professional athlete when you download a copy of our FREE special report, Negotiation Skills: Negotiation Strategies and Negotiation Techniques to Help You Become a Better Negotiator, from the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School.
public policy
What is a Public Policy Negotiation?
Adopting a mutual gains approach to dealing with public policy can help overcome hostile or negative public perceptions.
Governments can experience strong resistance to new public policy initiatives, or fierce backlash to mistakes. How should they deal with the public? Incorporating a public relations perspective into a problem-solving or public dispute resolution processes can make the difference between success or failure.
Research from Meirav Furth-Matzkin, a fellow at Harvard Law School’s Program on Negotiation, and Harvard Law School professor Cass R. Sunstein, examined whether social norms could be used to sway people to support certain policies. In survey studies, they presented an identical public policy to hundreds of Americans with diverse political views.
When participants were told that most people favored the policy that they were presented with, they were more likely to support it than when they were told that most people opposed it. The results suggest a strategy for negotiators: When trying to persuade someone of the merits of a public policy or proposal that you’re advocating, be sure to emphasize its broad popularity, if this is the case.
Another approach to successful public policy proposals is through joint fact-finding to educate parties about the issues at stake. In doing so, it spurs agreements that are more credible, creative, harmonious, and lasting than those developed using a traditional “adversarial” process. Although a shared set of unbiased conclusions doesn’t guarantee that parties will come to an agreement, it does ensure that they won’t dismiss matters out of hand.
Augment your public policy and leadership skills with this special report, What is the Difference Between Leadership and Management?, from Harvard Law School.
We will send you a download link to your copy of the report and notify you by email when we post new advice and information on how to improve your business negotiation skills to our website.
The following items are tagged public policy:
Negotiation Essentials Online
LIMITED TIME COMBO OFFER: Negotiation Essentials Online February 11-12, 2025 (Online) Instructor: Florrie Darwin PLUS Beyond the Back Table: Working with People and Organizations to Get to Yes February 25-26, 2025 (Online) Instructor: Brian Mandell
Great negotiators aren’t born, they’re made. This February, you can accelerate your negotiation expertise by taking advantage of our special combo offer. Save $1,500 when you register for … Read Negotiation Essentials Online
Negotiation Master Class November 2024 Program Guide
Over the years thousands of professionals have participated in negotiation programs at the Program on Negotiation (PON) at Harvard Law School. And after a few months or years of putting their negotiation skills and techniques to work, participants inevitably ask us, what’s next? … Read More
Planning for Cyber Defense of Critical Urban Infrastructure
Save Fairport: Planning for Social Cyber Defense of Critical Urban Infrastructure
Cybersecurity for critical urban infrastructure is a major public safety issue for cities. Cyber-attacks can cause major physical damage, as well as sow chaos and undermine public faith in government. Cyber criminals constantly develop new types of malware, which may not be detectable by current … Read More
Harvard Negotiation Master Class: Advanced Strategies for Experienced Negotiators – November 18–20, 2024
Strictly limited to 60 participants who have completed a prior course in negotiation, this first-of-its-kind program offers unprecedented access to experts from Harvard Law School, MIT, and the Harvard Kennedy School—all of whom are committed to delivering a transformational learning experience. … Read More
Teaching Mediation: Exercises to Help Students Acquire Mediation Skills
Often, disputing parties are unable achieve satisfactory or sustainable outcomes on their own through direct negotiation, and require the assistance of a mediator or facilitator. Mediators can help parties involved in a dispute through examining the issues at hand, uncovering the parties’ underlying interests, and identifying creative solutions. To act as mediator requires a great … Read More
NEW! Harvard Mediation Intensive
Led by mediation experts Audrey Lee and Alain Lempereur, the Harvard Mediation Intensive delves into mediation principles and processes through interactive presentations and hands-on exercises. From employment and business disagreements to public and international conflicts, you will discover effective ways to enable parties to settle their differences across a variety of contexts. … Read NEW! Harvard Mediation Intensive
Redevelopment Negotiation: The Challenges of Rebuilding the World Trade Center
In the wake of the destruction of the World Trade Center more than 20 years ago in New York City, there were difficult questions and challenges facing those who were involved in the redevelopment negotiation. For instance, how do we build consensus around complex solutions when there are emotionally charged issues at stake? The Teaching Negotiation … Read More
Semester Mediation and Conflict Management – Spring 2025
SEMESTER MEDIATION AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT – ONLINE
Course Dates: Mondays, beginning January 27, 2025 and ending on April 7, 2025 from 6 to 8 p.m. ET (Note: There will be no class the week of February 17, 2025) Faculty: David Seibel and Stevenson Carlebach Register Now – Spring 2025!
After years working on Wall Street and on the launch team … Read More
Influence Tactics in Negotiation
Whether we notice them or not, social norms—the rules of behavior deemed acceptable in society—strongly influence our behavior. We automatically lower our voices when we enter a library and raise them at football games. We arrive at work on time but show up to dinner parties half an hour late. We stop at red lights … Read Influence Tactics in Negotiation
Semester Mediation and Conflict Management – Fall 2024
SEMESTER MEDIATION AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT – ONLINE
Course Dates: Mondays, beginning September 16, 2024 and ending on November 25, 2024 from 6 to 8 p.m. ET (Note: There will be no class the week of October 14, 2024) Faculty: David Seibel and Dan Green Sold Out!
After years working on Wall Street and on the launch team of a Cambridge … Read More
Teach Your Students to Negotiate Climate Change
How Can Communities Negotiate Climate Change Risks? With ocean temperatures rising and hurricanes growing more frequent and severe, the impacts of climate change are dramatically affecting many communities. The severe flooding brought on by repeated storms has forced the impacted communities to confront a range of public health risks, as well as evaluations of drainage and … Read Teach Your Students to Negotiate Climate Change
Dear Negotiation Coach: Plan Ahead for Negotiation Mistakes
We recently had a question about some common negotiation mistakes people make while they’re still preparing for a negotiation. Kessely Hong, Senior Lecturer in Public Policy and the Faculty Chair of the MPA Programs and the Mid-Career MPA Summer Program at the Harvard Kennedy School, took time to discuss these mistakes and steps we can … Read More
Ask A Negotiation Expert: There’s More to the Wage Gap Than Women Negotiating Salary
In the United States, the gender wage gap for full-time workers amounts to women earning about 80 cents on the dollar as compared to men; similar or greater disparities can be found across the globe. Hannah Riley Bowles, the Roy E. Larsen Senior Lecturer in Public Policy and Management at Harvard Kennedy School, and a … Read More
Ask A Negotiation Expert: Using Law Teaching Materials to Build Bridges
Amid our polarized political climate, dysfunction and conflict seem to rule the day in the U.S. Congress and state legislatures. To help legislators and their staff learn to build bridges and negotiate through impasse, the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) Legislative Negotiation Project, with support from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation Madison Initiative, has developed … Read More
For Better Communication, Try Appreciation
Many professional negotiators have come away from talks wondering, How did that pleasant discussion turn sour? Why did the deal unravel at the last minute? … Read For Better Communication, Try Appreciation
Ask A Negotiation Expert: Job Negotiations In the COVID-19 Era
The coronavirus pandemic and resulting economic crisis have shaken up nearly everyone’s working life. We asked Hannah Riley Bowles, the Roy E. Larsen Senior Lecturer in Public Policy and Management at Harvard Kennedy School, for advice on how to adapt to this uncertain time. Negotiation Briefings: What advice would you give to people who are currently … Read More
Check Out Video Highlights from the 2019 Negotiation Pedagogy Conference
On November 15th, 2019, the Teaching Negotiation Resource Center (TNRC) hosted a conference on excellence and innovation in negotiation pedagogy. Negotiation and dispute resolution teachers and trainers from around the world came to Cambridge to learn about new approaches and share their experiences. Speakers at the conference spotlighted innovative instructional techniques in many diverse fields of … Read More
Mediation and Conflict Management Seminar: Attend in Person or Online!
The Mediation and Conflict Management Seminar starts Monday January 27 – don’t miss your last chance to register! The Program on Negotiation (PON) offers a semester-length seminar on mediation and conflict management designed to raise your awareness of your own approach to conflict. Led by David Seibel and Stevenson Carlebach, renowned mediators and dynamic instructors, this … Read More
2019 Negotiation Pedagogy Conference
Join us in Cambridge on Friday, November 15th, 2019 for a conference on excellence and innovation in teaching negotiation. The Teaching Negotiation Resource Center (TNRC) at the inter-university Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School is pleased to announce that the 2019 Negotiation Pedagogy Conference will take place on Friday, November 15th, 2019 at Harvard Law … Read 2019 Negotiation Pedagogy Conference
Announcing the 2017 PON Summer Fellows
PON offers fellowship grants to students at Harvard University, MIT, Tufts University and other Boston-area schools who are doing internships or undertaking summer research projects in negotiation and dispute resolution in partnership with public, nonprofit or academic organizations. The Summer Fellowship Program’s emphasis is on advancing the links between scholarship and practice in negotiation and … Read Announcing the 2017 PON Summer Fellows
Negotiation Scenario: Hammering out Local Strategies for Managing Climate-related Public Health Risks
Climate change is already causing increased temperatures, more intense storms, and rising sea levels in many parts of the world. The threats, particularly the impacts on human health, are daunting. Despite uncertainties about the timing and severity of the impacts of climate change in each location, this simulation asserts that cities and towns must take … Read More
Announcing the 2015 PON Summer Fellows
About the PON Summer Fellowship Program: PON offers fellowship grants to students at Harvard University, MIT, Tufts University and other Boston-area schools who are doing internships or undertaking summer research projects in negotiation and dispute resolution in partnership with public, non-profit or academic organizations. The Summer Fellowship Program’s emphasis is on advancing the links between scholarship … Read Announcing the 2015 PON Summer Fellows
Paola Cecchi-Dimgelio and Peter Kamminga Publish Negotiation Research on the Development of Collaborative Law in the World
Paola Cecchi-Dimeglio, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at PON and a joint fellow at Harvard Kennedy School at the Women and Public Policy Program (WAPPP), and Peter Kamminga, Associate Professor of Law at Amsterdam University in the Netherlands and a PON Postdoctoral Research Fellow, published research in The Journal of the Legal Profession on the development of collaborative … Read More
Corruption: The Unaddressed Elephant on the Global Stage
The Herbert C. Kelman Seminar on International Conflict Analysis and Resolution is pleased to present: Corruption: The Unaddressed Elephant on the Global Stage with
William English Research Director of the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics and Research, Fellow at the Harvard Initiative for Learning and Teaching and
Vladimir Radomirović Serbian Investigative Journalist, 2015 Nieman Fellow Monday, May 4, 2015 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM CGIS South, Room … Read More
New Findings in the Field of Negotiation: Session Two
The Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School is pleased to present: New Findings in the Field of Negotiation: Research from the PON Graduate Research Fellows with
Arvid Bell PhD Candidate in political science at Goethe University Frankfurt and
Dana Wolf PhD candidate in public international law at American University Washington College of Law and
Todd Schenk PhD candidate in environmental policy and planning at Massachusetts Institute of Technology Tuesday, … Read More
Centrism in the Middle East: Myth or Method
The Harvard International Negotiation Program, the Harvard Global Health Institute and the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School are pleased to co-present:
Centrism in the Middle East: Myth or Method Distinguished Lecture by Najib A. Mikati former Prime Minister of Lebanon with opening remarks by Daniel L. Shapiro Founder and Director, Harvard International Negotiation Program Monday, November 24 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. Austin Hall, Room … Read Centrism in the Middle East: Myth or Method
Women and Negotiation: Negotiating the Gender Gap
The following question given to Program on Negotiation faculty member and a Senior Lecturer in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School Hannah Riley Bowles: I recently figured out that I am one of the lowest-paid people at my level in my organization—even though I am one of the top performers. I am also one … Read More
Thanks to Keen Negotiation Skills, the Carolinas Avoid a Border Dispute
Due to the frequency of their border disputes, the United States can at times seem not so united. The states of Georgia and Tennessee are currently embroiled in a heated conflict over a mile-long strip of land. A dispute between Georgia and South Carolina over several islands reached the Supreme Court, as did a conflict … Read More
Social Perceptions at the Crossroads: Why Sex (Still) Impacts the Perception and Evaluation of Other Status-Linked Identities
On November 1, 2012, Professor Kerri Johnson from the University of California, Los Angeles, delivered a talk at the Harvard Kennedy School. Her lecture, entitled “Social Perceptions at the Crossroads: Why Sex (Still) Impacts the Perception and Evaluation of Other Status-Linked Identities,” was part of a year-long research seminar co-sponsored by the Program on Negotiation … Read More
PON Podcast: My Neighbourhood with Julia Bacha, Just Vision
The Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School and the Middle East Initiative at the Harvard Kennedy School held a panel discussion following a screening of My Neighborhood, a Just Vision documentary. The podcast is now available. … Read More
PON Film Series Event: My Neighbourhood Screening with Julia Bacha, Just Vision
The Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School and the Middle East Initiative at the Harvard Kennedy School are pleased to present a screening of “My Neighborhood,” a new Just Vision documentary. A panel discussion will be held after the screening with Julia Bacha, director/producer of My Neighbourhood. … Read More
Google Searches for a More Diverse Team
Recently, executives at the Silicon Valley-based internet giant Google noticed a disturbing trend: the company was having difficulty hiring and retaining female employees, from engineers to senior executives, Claire Cain Miller writes in the August 22 issue of the New York Times. Women were dropping out during the job interview process and were not being … Read Google Searches for a More Diverse Team
Announcing the 2012-2013 PON Graduate Research Fellows
The Program on Negotiation Graduate Research Fellowships are designed to encourage young scholars from the social sciences and professional disciplines to pursue theoretical, empirical, and/or applied research in negotiation and dispute resolution. Consistent with the PON goal of fostering the development of the next generation of scholars, this program provides support for one year of … Read More
Russia’s Leadership Challenges in the 21st Century
Russia’s Leadership Challenges in the 21st Century with Kevin Ryan Executive Director for Research Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs Kennedy School of Government and Simon Saradzhyan Fellow Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs Kennedy School of Government Date: Monday, March 26, 2012 Time: 4:00-6:00 PM Where: CGIS South S-050, 1730 Cambridge Street Contact Chair: Donna Hicks (dhicks@wcfia.harvard.edu)
Speaker Bios Brigadier General Kevin Ryan (U.S. Army retired) is Executive Director … Read More
Beyond diplomacy: Embedding peace and conflict transformation processes in Nepal and Lebanon
“Beyond diplomacy: Embedding peace and conflict transformation processes in Nepal and Lebanon”
with Jeff Seul Chairman, Peace Appeal Foundation and
Martin Wahlisch International Lawyer and Researcher, Common Space Initiative (Beirut) Date: November 8, 2011 Time: 4:00-6:00 PM Where: Weatherhead Center for International Affairs 1737 Cambridge Street, Room K-354, Cambridge MA Contact Chair: Donna Hicks (dhicks@wcfia.harvard.edu). Speaker Bios Jeff Seul, Chairman of the Peace Appeal Foundation, is a partner in … Read More
Political Polarization and Ideas for Restoring Civility to Government in 2012
“Political Polarization and Ideas for Restoring Civility to Government in 2012”
with Jill Lepore, Professor of American History at Harvard University and
Mark McKinnon Reidy Fellow at the Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at the Kennedy School of Government Date: October 25, 2011 Time: 4:00-6:00 PM Where: Weatherhead Center for International Affairs 1737 Cambridge Street, Room K-354, Cambridge MA Contact Chair: … Read More
Video: Overcoming Obstacles in Negotiation
Great negotiators utilize multiple strategies for dealing with obstacles and overcoming complications in negotiations. Key tactics include preparing systematically in advance, and focusing relentlessly on the interests of the other party, as well as one’s own. In this video, Professor Mandell, Senior Lecturer in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, shares his thoughts on … Read Video: Overcoming Obstacles in Negotiation
Former PON Graduate Research Fellow Featured in the “Boston Globe”
Sreedhari Desai, a PON Graduate Research Fellow for the 2009-2010 academic year, was recently featured in an Op-Ed in the Boston Globe. Desai’s research examines the ways in which childhood cues can make businesses more charitable and individuals more honest. The full text of the article can be found here. About Sreedhari Desai: Sreedhari Desai is an … Read More
Getting Agreement on Energy Policies and Plans
Lawrence Susskind (Ford Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning, The Massachusetts Institute of Technology; author of Built to Win; co-author of Breaking Robert’s Rules and Breaking the Impasse) Making public policy about energy has been a scattered, uncoordinated disaster. In this posting, the author argues for a negotiated, consensus building approach to energy planning. Read More … Read Getting Agreement on Energy Policies and Plans
Budrus
Ayed Morrar, an unlikely community organizer, unites Palestinians from all political factions and Israelis to save his village from destruction by Israel’s Separation Barrier. Victory seems improbable until his 15-year-old daughter, Iltezam, launches a women’s contingent that quickly moves to the front lines. Struggling side by side, father and daughter unleash an inspiring, yet little-known movement … Read Budrus
“The Military and the Media: Two Perspectives- Iraq and Pakistan”
“The Military and the Media: Two Perspectives– Iraq and Pakistan”
with Wajahat Khan, and
Emma Sky
Date: March 29, 2011
Time: 4:00-6:00 PM
Where: Knafel Building, 1737 Cambridge Street, Bowie Vernon Room (Room N-262), Cambridge MA Contact Chair: Donna Hicks (dhicks@wcfia.harvard.edu). Speaker Bios Emma Sky left Iraq in September 2010, where she had served for three years as Political Advisor to General … Read More
Canceled: The Difference Difference Makes in Mediation
This event has been canceled due to inclement weather. The Women and Public Policy Program and the Center for Public Leadership in coordination with IGA 308M: Inclusive Security present: “The Difference Difference Makes in Mediation”
Date: January 12, 2011
Time: 6:00PM
Location: JFK Jr. Forum Littauer Building, 1st Floor John F. Kennedy School of Government Harvard University 79 JFK Street Cambridge, MA 02138 This event is free and … Read More
Status Constraints in Negotiation: Gender and Global (vs. Local) Culture in the Arab Gulf
Women and Public Policy Program Seminar: Status Constraints in Negotiation: Gender and Global (vs. Local) Culture in the Arab Gulf with Associate Professor Hannah Riley Bowles Date: December 2, 2010 Time: 11:40am-1:00pm Where: WAPPP Cason Seminar Room, Taubman 1st floor About the Seminar: Studies conducted in the rapidly globalizing Arab Gulf illuminate university students’ psychological experiences of the global and local … Read More
The Economy’s Looking Up: So, Can I Have a Raise?
Author: Sue Shellenbarger It’s never easy to ask for a raise or extra perks, especially during a recession. To make matters worse, many workers have trouble negotiating a new compensation package on their own behalf. In this column, Iris Bohnet, a public policy professor and vice chair of the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, … Read The Economy’s Looking Up: So, Can I Have a Raise?
Negotiating the Gulf Disaster with Larry Susskind
Soap Box: Negotiating the Gulf Disaster Tuesday, September 26, 2010 Speaker: Larry Susskind Time: 6:00p–7:30p Location: N52, MIT Museum Soap Box: The Gulf Oil Spill & Its Consequences The MIT Museum sponsors a series of salon-style, early-evening conversations with cutting-edge scientists and engineers who are making the news that really matters. Larry Susskind, MIT’s Ford Professor of Urban Studies and Planning, and … Read Negotiating the Gulf Disaster with Larry Susskind
PON Founders Video
The founders of the Program on Negotiation describe the early days of the field of negotiation and conflict resolution, when scholars in law, business, psychology, anthropology, economics, and public policy came together to share insights on how to help people deal with conflict, solve problems, make deals, and preserve relationships.
To see more PON videos, click … Read PON Founders Video
“International Finance and How It Affects the Negotiation of Global Conflicts”
“International Finance and How It Affects the Negotiation of Global Conflicts” with Loch Adamson and Richard Parker
Date: September 21, 2010
Time: 4-6 PM Where: CGIS Building, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, 1737 Cambridge Street, Room N-262, Cambridge MA Contact Chair: Donna Hicks (dhicks@wcfia.harvard.edu). Speaker Bios
Loch Adamson is the London bureau chief of Institutional Investor, a New York-based financial … Read More
Social Comparisons In Ultimatum Bargaining
Author: Iris Bohnet, Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School; director of the Women and Public Policy Program; associate director of the Harvard Decision Science The effects of social comparisons in ultimatum bargaining are explored in this paper. Iris Bohnet examines their relevance in general and over time. The economic significance of these effects is examined, … Read Social Comparisons In Ultimatum Bargaining
Aim high…or not?
Adapted from “How High Should You Aim?”, first published in the Negotiation newsletter. Research shows that moderately difficult goals can energize people and increase their performance. In negotiation, parties with relatively high aspirations often negotiate higher individual payoffs. But there can be a downside: impasse and unethical behavior may be more likely. In a study conducted by … Read Aim high…or not?
New Live-Mediation Teaching Video Available for Purchase
In preparation for last May’s Mediation Pedagogy Conference at Harvard Law School, NP@PON produced a video of an actual landlord-tenant small claims mediation – from start to finish, including side-bar conversations. It is rare that actual (as opposed to staged or acted) mediations are available for instructional purposes. The mediator in this case is Charles … Read More
The Role of Track I actors in Reconciliation: The UN in Iraq
“The Role of Track I actors in Reconciliation: The UN in Iraq”
with Eileen Babbitt
Date: December 8, 2009 Time: 4-6 PM Where: CGIS Building, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, 1737 Cambridge Street, Second Floor, N-262 (Bowie Vernon Room), Cambridge MA Contact Chair: Donna Hicks (dhicks@wcfia.harvard.edu). Speaker Bio Eileen F. Babbitt is Professor of International Conflict Management Practice and Director of the International Negotiation … Read More
Herbert C. Kelman Seminar on International Conflict:
Conflict in Global Finance After the Meltdown: Reconciling Competing Priorities with Richard Parker Lecturer on Public Policy Shorenstein Center, Harvard Kennedy School Date: November 10, 2009 Time: 4-6 PM Where: CGIS Building, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, 1737 Cambridge Street, Second Floor, N-262 (Bowie Vernon Room), Cambridge MA Contact Chair: Donna Hicks (dhicks@wcfia.harvard.edu). Speaker Bio Richard Parker is Lecturer in Public Policy and … Read More
Gender in Negotiation and Decision Making Research Seminar
The research seminar on Gender in Negotiation and Decision Making is jointly sponsored by the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School and the Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard Kennedy School. Michael Morris is the Chavkin-Chang Professor of Leadership in the Columbia Business School as well as a Professor in the Psychology Department … Read More
Mediation Pedagogy Conference
Registration is now closed for the NP@PON Mediation Pedagogy Conference. Professors Lawrence Susskind (MIT) and Michael Wheeler (Harvard Business School) are pleased to announce a Mediation Pedagogy Conference to be held by Negotiation Pedagogy at the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School (NP@PON). This two-day Conference will be held Friday, May 15 and Saturday, May … Read Mediation Pedagogy Conference
Negotiating the Toughest Challenges in U.S.-Muslim Relations: From Peace in the Middle East to Talks with the Taliban
Join the Program on Negotiation for a discussion on major challenges facing the U.S. as it tries to improve relations with key Muslim countries embroiled in regional conflicts. Key questions include whether and how to negotiate with armed non-state groups, how to engage effectively with fractious and failing governments, and how to manage influential constituencies … Read More