A Litmus Test

The innovative method nearby Malden used to study many of the problems facing the city is an example of building academic theory by immersing a study in a practical situation, according to MIT professor Lawrence E. Susskind, who heads up the Public Disputes Program of the Law School-based Program on Negotiation.

"You build theory by observing and becoming involved in practice. There is a problem in the world and you set out to figure out how to solve it," says Susskind, who adds that he sees no useful distinction between abstract theory and practical application.

He says the process of developing theory is one of constantly testing ideas in real situations. He says that it is best to analyze how a negotiation actually transpires and draw principles from that scrutiny.

The litmus test, he says, comes when you attempt to reapply principles derived from previous work. After a project, "you codify some of the ideas. They are no good if there aren't places to reapply them," he says.

The Program on Negotiation, of which Susskind's group is a division, is a multi-university think tank which examines different ways of resolving conflicts which range from nuclear arms talks to school budgets.

The Malden project was an example of Susskind's philosophy at work. In Malden, Susskind and his team helped the city study its problems with what is known as a Negotiated Investment Strategy (NIS). Such a method uses negotiating teams representing many different sides of a dispute or problem to work together instead of calling in an outside consultant or relying on an administrative decision.

In Malden, teams representing city government, local business, and citizens worked together for over a year to produce a report containing 148 recommendations to improve the city's police and fire departments, schools, finances and image. Although some observers remain skeptical that the project will produce any lasting change in Malden, Susskind is confident that it will.

He says that the negotiation process committed enough people from all areas of the community to improving the city that the project has sufficient momentum to bear noticeable results.

The NIS concept was developed to handle public policy questions by the Ford Foundation and Kettering Institute in the 1970s and while it is still only sparsely used. Susskind is sure it can tackle almost any public policy problem. This spring the Program on Dispute Resolution bid for a contract with the Massachusetts Department of Social Services to examine the way the Partnership Forum for Children and Family Services distributes funds for social-services around the state. Susskind's group is expected to be awarded the contract for the $75,000 protect tomorrow