PARCC News

PARCC Announces New Research Director.  Farhana Sultana, Associate Professor in Geography at the Maxwell School and long-time PARCC faculty associate, will be the Research Director for Environmental Collaboration and Conflict. 8/31/16

Elman talks about the rise of religious hate crime. Miriam Elman discussed "Hate Speech and the New Antisemitism to the Ithaca Area United Jewish Community. 8/25/16

Congratulations to the recipients of the Maxwell Tenth Decade Project on Work, Labor, and Citizenship Research Grants. The Work, Labor, and Citizenship Initiative nurtures interdisciplinary study of the many fundamental trends now at play in the broad field of labor studies. 5/25/16

Rubinstein speaks at Bilkent University.  Robert Rubinstein, Professor of Anthropology and International Relations, presented an invited lecture as part of the Bilkent University Seminar Series, Polity, Society and the World on 14 March 2016.  He spoke on the topic of “Intervention in Complex Emergencies: Tensions between Local and Organizational Cultures,” at the main Bilkent University campus in Ankara, Turkey. 3/22/16 

Mergel has IBM report published.  Ines Mergel, Associate Professor of Public Administration and International Affairs, has a new IBM report published which is titled “The Social Intranet: Insights on Managing and Sharing Knowledge Internally.”  It looks at how Corporate America increasingly relies on social intranets to leverage employees’ knowledge and foster collaboration in ways that speed up work and reduce costs. 3/22/16

Call for Papers for the 3rd International Conference on Democratic Governance.  PARCC will partner with the Rwanda Governance Board and Cheyney University of Pennsylvania for the 3rd International Conference on Democratic Governance, which will explore the various dimensions – political, economic, social, spiritual, and cultural – needed to advance and sustain democratic governance in the developing world.  It will be held July 18-19, 2016 in Washington, DC. The deadline for submissions is March 31, 2016.   3/2/16

Call for Papers for the Conference on Transforming Intractable Conflicts: Their Restructuring and Reframing. PARCC will partner with The Tami Steinmetz Center for Peace Research at Tel Aviv University to hold an interdisciplinary conference on transforming intractable conflicts scheduled for September 15-17, 2016.  Faculty and advanced Ph.D. students are encouraged to submit 1-2 page proposals  on all types of “intractable conflicts” and their transformation (international, national or local) and/or conceptual and theoretical ways of addressing such conflicts. The deadline for submissions is March 31, 2016. 3/1/16

Legendary Feminist Author Dr. Gloria Joseph to visit on Feb. 29.   Joseph is the groundbreaking author of  "The Wind is Spirit: The life, love and legacy of Audre Lorde."  She will hold a book discussion on Monday, February 29th from 5-8 pm at the Community Folk Art Center, 805 East Genesee St, Syracuse,NY.  This event is organized by The Democratizing Knowledge Project, PARCC is one of several co-sponsors.   

Temnycky article published in Forbes.  Mark Temnycky, graduate student in the MPA/MA-IR program and graduate assistant in PARCC, had his article "Let's Call Ukraine By Its Proper Name" featured in the opinion section of Forbes magazine.  2/17/16  

Elman quoted in article about Israeli protests.  Miriam Elman, PARCC research director for International and Intra-state Conflict, was quoted by The Jewish Week in a story titled “Attacking BDS From The Left." 1/14/16

Conflict Resolution Quarterly Special Issue Honoring Christina Merchant. PARCC Director, Catherine Gerard and Rosemary O’Leary Professor, Public Administration, University of Kansas are co-editors of a special issue of CRQ . The issue honors the contributions of Christina Merchant, Maxwell Professor of Practice who died in 2013. Articles were written by friends, colleagues, and leading scholars in areas where Chris practiced, wrote, and taught.  12/10/15 

Views on recent Paris attacks.   Miriam F. Elman, PARCC Research Director for International and Intra-state Conflict, is one of four Syracuse University professors who are experts in terrorism who gave their views on the recent attacks in Paris and elsewhere and how the world should respond. 11/20/15

Kriesberg writes op-ed about Obama’s foreign policy .  The op-ed titled "Constructive Conflict Applications in Obama’s Foreign Policies" was posted on Foreign Policy In Focus, a project of the Institute for Policy Studies.  11/12/15 

Elman Talk and Workshop on Antisemitism.   Miriam F. Elman, Research Director for International and Intra-state Conflict at PARCC, discussed forms of antisemitism in her talk titled, “Fighting the Hate: When Does Anti-Israel Become Anti-Semitic?”  Her talk was followed by a workshop where participants had an opportunity to break into small groups for further discussion of both the nature of the “new antisemitism” and how local, national, and international Jewish communities should respond to it. 11/10/15 

Guest Speakers in Mergel's Social Media Class. Ines Mergel, PARCC Research Associate, invited the Public Information Officer of the NY State Police to talk with the students about social media tactics police use.  11/9/15 

Nabatchi is One of Maxwell School Inaugural Tenth Decade Faculty Scholars.   Tina Nabatchi, PARCC Research Co-Director for Collaborative Governance, was named a Maxwell School Tenth Decade Faculty Scholar.  This award was created to recognize and encourage excellence in citizenship teaching, research, and public engagement at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School. 11/2/15 

Announcing the most recent addition to the Syracuse Studies on Peace and Conflict Resolution Series. The publication of Humor and Nonviolent Struggle in SERBIA by Janjira Sombatpoonsiri, lecturer of political science at Thammasat University in Thailand.  This book explores the nexus between humor and nonviolent protest, aiming to enhance our understanding of the growing popularity of humor in protest movements around the world. 10/28/15 

Rubinstein travels to Belize for Negotiation Workshop. Robert Rubinstein, Professor of Anthropology and International Relations traveled Belize October 15-18 to conduct "Empowering UB in Theoretical and Practical Negotiation Skills,"a training workshop for University of Belize faculty members as part of a grant funded by the Oak Foundation and administered by PARCC.  10/23/15   

Kriesberg Realizing Peace Interview.  Louis Kriesberg was interviewed Friday, Oct. 2nd by Stephanie Van Hook of the Metta Center for Nonviolence.  They discussed his latest book, Realizing Peace: A Constructive Conflict Approach (2015) and also why conflict is necessary and sometime even desirable. 10/6/15 

Kriesberg interviewed on Newsmakers. Louis Kriesberg, Maxwell Professor Emeritus of Social Conflict Studies and Founding Director of the Program for the Analysis and Resolution of Conflict (PARC), was interviewed by Dan Cummings on Sunday August 16, 2015  for Newschannel 9 Syracuse (ABC) for the show Newsmakers.  Kriesberg discussed his views about poverty, challenging Congressman John Katko and then discussed his newest book, Realizing Peace: A Constructive Conflict Approach.  8/16/15 

PARCC Faculty Associates Facilitate Community Environmental Conversations.  PARCC faculty associates, Tina Nabatchi and Paul Hirsch along with volunteers trained by the Conflict Management Center (CMC) facilitated community conversations to critically evaluate a set of environmental project ideas for the community with the Onondaga Environmental Institute (OEI).  The conversations were held July 14th on the South Side of Syracuse, August 4th in Liverpool, with another date to be announced for the Tully Valley.  These community events are part of a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency.  8/7/15  

Gerard and Bruno travel to Tanzania. Catherine Gerard, Director of PARCC, and Tosca Bruno, Director of the Transnational NGO Initiative at the Maxwell School, were invited by the MS Training Centre for Development Cooperation and taught Collaborative Leadership skills to groups from ActionAid, Amnesty International, and Oxfam at the Senior Leadership Development Programme held in Arusha, Tanzania from July 26th to August 1, 2015. 8/4/15

Kriesberg chapter published.   Louis Kriesberg, Maxwell Professor Emeritus of Social Conflict Studies and Founding Director of PARC, contributed a chapter to The Brown Journal of World Affairs (Spring/Summer 2015) The chapter is titled "A Constructive Conflict Approach to World Struggles.” 7/31/15

Schnell joins PARCC.  Assistant Professor of Public Administration and International Affairs, Sabina Schnell will be joining the faculty associates in the PARCC office beginning this Fall semester.  Her work on transparency and conditions for citizen participation will extend PARCC's research profile in collaborative governance. 7/22/15

Hirsch interviewed for article on collaboration.  Paul Hirsch, PARCC Research Director for Environmental Collaboration and Conflicts, was recently interviewed for an article titled "Collaborations: Recipe for a team" in Nature, the International Weekly Journal of Science. 7/22/15

Robert Rubinstein named as member of the Board of Directors of The Bridgeway Group, a Cambridge, MA based not-for-profit consulting firm. It’s mission statement reads: "The Bridgeway Group works in partnership with parties in conflict-affected regions to provide long-term capacity building for the effective, sustainable, and non-violent management of social and community conflict. We are especially committed to supporting parties in under-resourced contexts and to capturing and disseminating lessons learned from our collective efforts. To accomplish this goal, the Bridgeway Group works with individuals and organizations, offering training in negotiation, communication, and peacebuilding skills. The Bridgeway Group strives to provide best practice through coaching, strategic advice, and innovative tools, designed to help transform the negotiation and conflict management cultures of those with whom we work." 6/10/15

PARCC affiliates Professors Nabatchi, Mergel, and VanSlyke are participating in a round table on "Framing a Management Roadmap for the Next Administration."   As part of the Partnership for Public Service's "Ready to Govern," Professor Nabatchi will focus on collaborative and participatory governance aspects. Professor Mergel will contribute ideas on how to innovate with new technologies and more effectively use networked governance approaches and Professor Van Slyke will focus on public private partnerships and contracting. The event is organized by IBM's Center for the Business of Government and the Partnership for Public Service on April 24, 2015 in Washington, DC. 4/22/15

Conflict Resolution Specialist, Joyce Neu, Visits PARCC.  Neu is the Founder and Senior Associate of Facilitating Peace, a consulting network that has worked with governmental, intergovernmental, and nongovernmental organizations. While at PARCC she delivered four presentations in three days. 4/17/15

Wallimann speaker at “Livelihoods, Sustainability, and Conflict.”  Isidor Wallimann, PARCC Visiting Research Faculty, was invited as a keynote speaker at the Fifth International Conflict Management Conference at Kennesaw State University held April 17 and 18, 2015.  His talk was titled, “Beyond Global Warming: Environmental Problems in Terms of Social Change and Conflict Management.” 4/17/15

Jefferson Center Members Visit PARCC.  Tina Nabatchi, PARCC Research Co-Director of Collaborative Governance, hosted members from the Jefferson Center at PARCC April 15-17th.  Nabatchi recently received a major grant from the National Institutes of Health and the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality to implement an innovative research project about public deliberation and public health. She is partnering with the Jefferson Center and the Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine (SIDM) to engage healthcare consumers in developing informed, practical, patient-focused recommendations for preventing, identifying, and reporting diagnostic error. They were planning upcoming events that will provide the opportunity for citizens to learn about an issue, deliberate together with a diverse group of their peers, and develop well-informed solutions to challenging public issues. 4/15/15

Louis Kriesberg, Maxwell Professor Emeritus of Social Conflict Studies and Founding Director of PARC, visited Columbia University to make a presentation about his new book, Realizing Peace: A Constructive Conflict Approach, at the Advanced Consortium on Cooperation, Conflict, and Complexity (AC4) and the Earth Institute.  He also discussed the book on the radio show, "Conversations from the Leading Edge: Peace and Conflict at Columbia." 4/13/15

Elman featured speaker on Israel’s elections and publishes op-ed. Miriam F. Elman, PARCC Research Director in International and Intra-state Conflict, presented a talk on “Israel’s Elections and the Prospects for Middle East Peace” at the 2014-2015 International Relations & Foreign Policy Speakers Series at Colgate University. 4/2/15 

PARCC Welcomes Visiting Scholar.  Mr. Sunchul Yun from the Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice (CCEJ) in South Korea and will be working with PARCC through February 2016.  Mr. Yun is interested in researching how government supports citizen engagement and develops policies that prevent policy conflicts.  3/25/14

Kriesberg presentation at S-CAR. On March 18, 2015  Louis Kriesberg, Maxwell Professor Emeritus of Social Conflict Studies and Founding Director of PARC, discussed his new book, Realizing Peace: A Constructive Conflict Approach, at The School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University. 3/18/15

Kriesberg's new book published March 2015.  PARCC Faculty Associate Louis Kriesberg's latest book Realizing Peace: A Constructive Conflict Approach (Oxford University Press) is available for  purchase now. The book uses a constructive conflict approach, which demonstrates how conflicts can be waged and resolved so that they are broadly beneficial rather than mutually destructive.  3/2/15

Hirsch Awarded SUNY  Presidential Research Fellowship. PARCC Faculty Research Director of Environmental Collaboration and Conflicts, Paul Hirsch, was awarded a Presidential Fellowship by the Research Foundation of the State University of New York as part of the Networks of Excellence Program.  His research will focus on implementing ways to overcome barriers to interdisciplinary collaboration. 1/21/15  
 
"Peaceful at the Core" Curriculum. PARCC Faculty Associate and Professor of Education, Mara Sapon-Shevin is using children’s literature as the foundation for dialogue, the “Peaceful at the Core” curriculum is divided developmentally into K-2, 3-5 and 6-8 grade levels and is aligned with the Common Core. 1/15/15

Nabatchi receives NIH Grant.  Tina Nabatchi,  PARCC Research Co-Director of Collaborative Governance, recently received a major grant from the National Institutes of Health and the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality to implement an innovative research project about public deliberation and public health. Specifically, Dr. Nabatchi is partnering with the Jefferson Center and the Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine (SIDM) to engage healthcare consumers in developing informed, practical, patient-focused recommendations for preventing, identifying, and reporting diagnostic error. SIDM will use the recommendations to develop strategic plans, policy statements, research agendas, and a patient engagement tool kit, which will be widely distributed through its networks of healthcare systems, providers, and consumers, and at its annual conference. 12/5/14

Kriesberg Fund Supports Constructive Approaches to Conflict. We invite PARCC supporters to give to the fund he established for teaching and research on constructively waged conflict. Lou is currently focused on a new book to be published by Oxford Univ. Press. 8/22/14

In Memory of Christina Merchant.  PARCC received a generous donation from Lillian Robinson Hartman in honor of Christina Merchant’s important work in the areas of labor management partnerships, conflict management systems, and conflict management skills.  Christina was a PARCC Faculty Associate and Professor of Practice at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School who died in 2012. In addition, PARCC is sponsoring a Special Issue of Conflict Resolution Quarterly (CRQ) dedicated to her memory.  The call for articles is underway. 12/4/14.

Sultana wins Moynihan Challenge Award. Farhana Sultana, Associate Professor of Geography and PARCC Faculty Associate, was awarded the faculty Moynihan Challenge in 2014 for $10,000, with a team of collaborators at SU and ESF, towards the project "Building Community Capacity to Adapt to Climate Change across Sites, Groups and Scales". She also secured additional funding from PARCC ($5000) and CEPA ($3000) towards this.  In addition, Farhana is a member of a team of collaborators, based out of University of British Columbia (Canada), who were awarded a $200,000 SSHRC Partnership Development Grant for the project "International WaTERS Network (Water-related Training Education and Research in the global South)." 11/27/14. 

Lambright presentation on his latest publication.  W. Henry Lambright, PARCC Faculty Associate and Professor of Public Administration and International Affairs and Political Science gave a presentation at St. Paul’s Church in Syracuse on Nov. 16, 2014 based on his recent book, Why Mars: NASA and the Politics of Space Exploration . 11/20/14

Purser Wins Award for New Book about On Demand Labor.  Gretchen Purser, Assistant Professor of Sociology and PARCC Faculty Associate, has won the 2014 International Book Award from the California Series in Public Anthropology (University of California Press) for her manuscript Labor On Demand: Dispatching the Urban Poor. 10/14/14   

Carving Through Borders: Discrimination, Immigration, and Citizenship on Sept. 18th, the College of Visual and Performing Arts of Syracuse University in coordination with the PARCC, presented an exhibition of banners, which examine the artistic expression of discrimination experienced by Mexicans and discuss the real tensions in American society and policy relating to immigration and citizenship.  The banners were designed by Mexican activists artists and produced by SU students through the Steamroller project and are on display through October 8th in the Joseph A. Strasser Commons, on the second floor of Eggers Hall. 9/18/14

PARCC's "Conflict and Collaboration" blog is active this week, with new posts by Prof. Miriam Elman ( Time to Oust Hamas: A Response to Nathan Thrall and Thank You, Eliaz and Ali) and by Maxwell graduate students Timothy Rodriguez ( Israel’s Latest Assault on Gaza) and Imran Khalid ( A Call for Re-humanization of the Palestinian People). 8/1/14

New Teaching Simulation and Cases Published through E-PARCC. Three new award-winning teaching resources are available at E-PARCC.org, a collection of online cases and simulations designed for those who teach collaborative public management, networks, governance, and problem solving. 6/9/14

Elman book published.  PARCC faculty associate, Miriam Elman has edited Jerusalem: Conflict and Cooperation in a Contested City (Syracuse University Press) along with anthropologist Madelaine Adelman from Arizona State University. The book explores a wide variety of events and cultural topics concerning this historic city – one of the most contested urban spaces in the world. 5/14/14

Huber Wins Maxwell School’s Moynihan Award. Matthew Huber, leader of PARCC's Labor Studies Working Group , has received the 2014 Daniel Patrick Moynihan Award for Teaching and Research. The award, established in 1985 by former senator and Maxwell faculty member Daniel Patrick Moynihan, is made annually to an outstanding untenured Maxwell School faculty member. 5/7/14

Labor Symposium Available on Video. If you missed our February 2014 event "'From Exclusion to Power': Labor Law and the Right to Organize Among Domestic and Farm Workers," you can watch video of the sessions on YouTube. Panel 1 discussed domestic workers, and Panel 2 discussed migrant workers in the dairy industry.   2/28/14

“ Police Reform in Russia: The Policy Process in a Hybrid Regime. ” Brian Taylor’s new article (Post-Soviet Affairs 2013), based on research funded through a PARCC minigrant, presents a case study of Russia's policy enactment process.

Elman Praises Shifts in Netanyahu’s Dialogue with Israeli Settlers. Read Miriam Elman’s op-ed, " Israel's Settlers: From Spoilers to Stakeholders," published in the Syracuse Post Standard.

"Seizing the Opportunity with Iran." Mehrzad Boroujerdi and Louis Kriesberg urge U.S. legislators not to undermine progress during this crucial moment in U.S-Iranian relations. ( Conflict and Collaboration blog)

PARCC Associate Mark Lichtenstein Accepted to the National Roster of Environmental Conflict Resolution Professionals. As Executive Director of the Syracuse CoE Center for Sustainable Community Solutions, Mark is the only Syracuse-based professional on this select list of experts who resolve environmental disputes and support collaborative solutions to complex public issues.

"Navigating Complex Trade-Offs in Conservation and Development: An Integrative Framework." Paul Hirsch has co-authored an article in Issues in Interdisciplinary Studies that presents a framework for fostering productive engagement among researchers and practitioners grappling with highly complex problems.

Democracy and Conflict Resolution: The Dilemmas of Israel’s Peacemaking (Syracuse University Press, 2013). Miriam Fendius Elman’s new book, co-edited with Oded Haklai and Hendrik Spruyt, considers the understudied impact of domestic factors on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Using the contested theory of "democratic peace" as a foundational framework, contributors explore the effects of a variety of internal influences on Israeli government practices related to Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking: electoral systems; political parties; identity; leadership; and social movements. Most strikingly, Democracy and Conflict Resolution explores the possibility that features of democracy inhibit resolution to the conflict, a possibility that resonates far outside the contested region. In reflecting on how domestic political configurations matter in a practical sense, this book offers policy-relevant and timely suggestions for advancing Israel’s capacity to pursue effective peacemaking policies.

Louis Kriesberg Receives Peace Studies Lifetime Achievement Award. The award was presented by the Central New York Peace Studies Consortium at its 25th Annual Conference in Binghamton, NY, on December 7, 2013.

“Open Government? Check. Public Participation? Not Yet.” Tina Nabatchi's blog post offers commentary on the Obama Administration’s second Open Government National Action Plan, released in December 2013.

Labor Union Highlights Salary Issues with Campus Equity Week. Daily Orange article explains how PARCC’s Labor Studies Working Group, currently led by Prof. Matt Huber, has helped to garner attention for inequity issues on campus.

Seventh Annual E-PARCC Teaching Case and Simulation Competition. PARCC invites applicants to submit new cases and simulations to be used in teaching collaborative public management, networks, collaborative governance, and collaborative problem solving. Apply by Feb. 15, 2014.

“New Opportunities for American Contributions to Transforming Israeli-Palestinian Relations.” Louis Kriesberg’s blog post looks at circumstances within the United States and the Middle East region that open a window for an effective broad American role in transforming the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Burdick Publishes Essay on Brazil’s June Days. Prof. John Burdick’s expository essay "Brazil’s June Days and their Aftermath: Tectonic Shifts in Brazilian Politics?" has been published in Mobilizing Ideas, a national blog by the Center for the Study of Social Movements at the University of Notre Dame. Burdick’s insights are based on his interviews with protestors and participant observation during a recent visit to Rio de Janeiro.

PARCC Community Deeply Saddened by the Death of Professor Christina Merchant. Faculty, staff, and students at PARCC are mourning the loss of treasured friend, colleague, and teacher Christina Sickles Merchant, who passed away in August 2013. A memorial service was held on November 15 in Hendricks Chapel, with a reception at the Maxwell School.

New Resources for Teaching Collaborative Public Management. Seven new award-winning teaching cases and simulations are available through E-PARCC, a collection of online resources offered by PARCC's Collaborative Governance Initiative. E-PARCC houses more than forty cases and simulations designed for those who teach collaborative public management, networks, governance, and/or problem solving. All resources can be downloaded free of charge.

Nabatchi Helps Obama Administration Promote Public Participation in Government. Prof. Tina Nabatchi led the June 2013 “Public Participation and Open Government Workshop” in Washington, DC, where experts from academia, civil society, and government exchanged ideas on best practices and metrics for public participation in policymaking. This workshop, hosted by PARCC and facilitated by Catherine Gerard, solicited input that may contribute to the President’s second National Action Plan on Open Government. 

Gerard and Nabatchi in Korean News, Sharing “Lessons from the West” on Social Conflict. Catherine Gerard and Tina Nabatchi were featured in the Korean newspaper Seoul Shinmun (서울신문) earlier this month at an international conference entitled “Coexistence and Collaboration, Beyond Conflicts.” In their respective roles as PARCC’s Director and Faculty Associate, Gerard and Nabatchi presented at the conference in Seoul, where they also strengthened ties with members of a new research partnership forged among PARCC, the Korea Institute of Public Administration (KIPA), the Research Institute for Coexistence and Collaboration at Korean Open University, and Korea’s Center for Conflict Resolution at the Citizen’s Coalition for Economic Justice. Conference organizers sought suggestions for resolving social conflicts in South Korea, where rapid economic and democratic advances have produced complex conflicts and eroded social cohesion in recent decades. See the news story with photo.

Environmental Policy Is Social Policy – Social Policy Is Environmental Policy: Toward Sustainability Policy – Isidor Wallimann has published an edited volume arguing that, if sustainability is our goal, social and environmental policy must be treated as one and the same field. Wallimann, a Visiting Research Professor with PARCC, is based in Basel, Switzerland, where he serves as president of the Social Economy Network Cooperative and of the Urban Agriculture Basel Network Association.

Congratulations to winners of our Sixth Annual E-PARCC Teaching Case and Simulation Competition! PARCC is pleased to award seven new prizes as part of our collaboration teaching case and simulation competition. This annual competition encourages the development of new cases and simulations to be used in teaching collaborative public management, networks, governance, and/or problem solving. Selected cases and simulations will be available online in June 2013.

Tina Nabatchi Wins Daniel Patrick Moynihan Award for Teaching and Research – This annual award was established by the former Senator and Maxwell professor to recognize an outstanding non-tenured faculty member. Nabatchi is known for her exceptional work in the classroom, with courses that focus on citizen participation and deliberation, collaborative governance, conflict resolution, and challenges in public administration. Congratulations Professor Nabatchi!

Gretchen Purser Receives Meredith Teaching Recognition Award – Congratulations to Professor Purser, who is receiving an honor awarded to non-tenured faculty for teaching innovation, effectiveness in communicating with students, and the lasting value of courses.

"Collaborative Governance and Leadership: A 2012 Survey of Local Government Collaboration" – Rosemary O’Leary and Catherine Gerard have published an article in ICMA’s Municipal Year Book 2013. Today’s local government managers are working in a landscape where efforts to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery require new approaches. One such approach is collaboration. Members of the U.S. Senior Executive Service were surveyed in 2010 on their use of collaboration as a management strategy. That survey was tailored to local government managers for a 2012 survey to learn more about why and how local governments are collaborating. This article highlights the preliminary findings.

Louis Kriesberg Establishes Endowment for Constructive Conflict Studies - PARCC is pleased and very grateful to announce that founding director Louis Kriesberg has created the Kriesberg Family Fund for Constructive Conflict Studies at PARCC. The Fund’s work will support three areas related to advancing the constructive conflict approach: (1) increased research and theory about waging conflicts constructively, (2) enhancing actual constructive conflict engagement and (3) increasing student and public education about doing conflicts constructively.

Professor Purser Awarded Two Prestigious Fellowships - Gretchen Purser, who leads PARCC’s Labor Studies Working Group, has received an Ethel Jane Westfeldt Bunting Fellowship at the School for Advanced Research (SAR) in Santa Fe, NM. These summer fellowships are awarded to three scholars in the social sciences, humanities and the arts to pursue research and writing projects that promote understanding of human behavior, culture, society and the history of anthropology. Purser has also been awarded a fellowship at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in Cambridge, MA for the 2013-2014 academic year. Founded in 1780, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy's Visiting Scholars Program supports promising scholars in the early stages of their careers who show promise for becoming leaders in the humanities, policy studies and social sciences. Please join us in congratulating Prof. Purser!

“Educating for Constructive Conflict Transformation” – Louis Kriesberg has published an article in Peace Studies Journal (vol. 6 no. 2) focusing on how conflicts, when conducted well, can contribute to achieving peaceful societies and peaceful international relationships.

A Mile in Their Shoes: Anthropology Students Gain Different Perspectives from Shadowing Campus Union Workers - Students working in conjunction with PARCC’s Labor Studies Working Group are conducting research on the experiences of union sectors across campus, including groundskeeping, food services, library services and housekeeping. The goal of the project is to help students see workers as three-dimensional individuals who spend their daily lives committed to the university.

Resolving Conflict and Rebuilding Lives in Darfur  - A region scarred by civil violence and a resulting humanitarian crisis over the past decade, Darfur in western Sudan still struggles to reach peace between the government and rebel factions. Its citizens, however, are not waiting to start rebuilding their lives and communities. Anthropologist Peter Castro glimpsed their determination while training a group of community leaders in natural resource conflict management in Central Darfur. “People are very eager to get back to their lives. They are trying to reoccupy land and re-establish communities and strengthen the way they manage natural resources,” he says. Castro, an associate of the Program for the Advancement of Research on Collaboration and Conflict (PARCC) at the Maxwell School, spoke earlier this month as part of PARCC’s Conversations in Conflict Studies Series. He was joined by NEF Darfur program manager Mohamed Dahia, pictured here with Castro and PARCC Director Catherine Gerard. 

Democracy in Motion: Evaluating the Practice and Impact of Deliberative Civic Engagement (Oxford Univ. Press, 2012) - Professor Tina Nabatchi has published an edited volume with John Gastil, G. Michael Weiksner, and Matt Leighninger, addressing the big questions of deliberative civic engagement. Although the field of deliberative civic engagement is growing rapidly around the world, our knowledge and understanding of its practice and impacts remain highly fragmented. Democracy in Motion represents the first comprehensive attempt to assess the practice and impact of deliberative civic engagement. The volume is organized in a series of chapters that use theory, research, and practice from around the world to explore what we know, how we know it, and what remains to be understood. More than a simple summary of research, the book is designed to be accessible and useful to a wide variety of audiences, from scholars and practitioners working in numerous disciplines and fields, to public officials, activists, and average citizens who are seeking to utilize deliberative civic engagement in their communities. The book significantly enhances current scholarship, serving as a guide to existing research and identifying useful future research. It also has promise for enhancing practice, for example by helping practitioners, public officials, and others better think through and articulate issues of design and outcomes, thus enabling them to garner more support for public deliberation activities. In addition, by identifying what remains to be learned about public deliberation, practitioners and public officials may be inspired to connect with scholars to conduct research and evaluations of their efforts. 

Summer Course on Conflict in Strasbourg, France. This summer, PARCC affiliate Jorgen Johanson will teach a month-long course called “European National and International Conflict: What Alternatives to Violence?” The course will cover the history of peaceful movements, analyze complex conflicts, present leading theories of conflict transformation, and discuss the possibilities for how to develop these traditions further. Apply through SU Abroad.

A Place We Call Home: Gender, Race, and Justice in Syracuse (Syracuse Studies on Peace and Conflict Resolution, SU Press, 2012). K. Animashaun Ducre, Assistant Professor of African American Studies at Syracuse University, has published a book focused on women living on Syracuse’s Southside, a predominantly African-American and low-income area, who took photographs of their environment to facilitate dialogues about how they viewed their community. A Place We Call Home chronicles this photography project and bears witness not only to the environmental injustice experienced by these women but also to the ways in which they maintain dignity and restore order in a community where they have traditionally had little control. Through a cogent combination of words and images, the book illuminates how these women manage their daily survival in degraded environments, the tools that they deploy to do so, and how they act as agents of change to transform their communities. Syracuse University Press’s Peace and Confict Resolution series is edited by Robert Rubinstein.

Patrick Coy, PARCC Alumus and Professor and Director of the Center for Applied Conflict Management, recently published “ Nonpartisanship, Interventionism and Legality in Accompaniment: Comparative Analyses of Peace Brigades International, Christian Peacemaker Teams, and the International Solidarity Movement,” in The International Journal of Human Rights (vol. 6, no. 7): 963-981.

"Spoilers of Peace and the Dilemmas of Conflict Resolution" - This joint publication, edited by Prof. Miriam F. Elman and Dr. Nimrod Goren, was produced through a partnership between Mitvim and the Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration at Syracuse University. It is based on a workshop conducted on July 23, 2012, in cooperation with the U.S. Embassy, Tel Aviv, and includes contributions by Prof. Miriam F. Elman, Attorney Gilead Sher, and Prof. Daniel Bar-Tal. Patrick Coy, PARCC Alumus and Professor and Director of the Center for Applied Conflict Management, recently published “Nonpartisanship, Interventionism and Legality in Accompaniment: Comparative Analyses of Peace Brigades International, Christian Peacemaker Teams, and the International Solidarity Movement,” in The International Journal of Human Rights, 2012 (vol. 6, no. 7), p. 963-981.

“The Skill Set of the Successful Collaborator,” Public Administration Review 72 (s1): 70–83, November/December 2012. Rosemary O’Leary, Yujin Choi, and Catherine Gerard have published an article focusing on members of the U.S. Senior Executive Service who choose collaboration as a management strategy to increase performance and, in particular, their views of the skill set of a successful collaborator.

Watershed Community Connections Final Report (Prepared by Onondaga Environmental Institute and the Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration, September 2012).  In June 2012, the Onondaga Lake Partnership and the Onondaga Lake Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration Trustee Council hosted a collaborative community outreach effort called Watershed Community Connections. The event was emceed by PARCC Faculty Research Associate Tina Nabatchi and Meredith Perreault, Project Manager at Onondaga Environmental Institute. More than twenty government agencies and community organizations participated in the forum, where approximately 130 attendees helped to define interests, visions, challenges, and next steps for the lake watershed. This final report will be useful to decision-makers in preparing for and conducting further community conversations regarding the future of the Onondaga Lake watershed. Download the full report (PDF). 

2012 Mini-Grants - PARCC awarded twelve mini-grants last year, sparking new research related to climate change, global health, indigenous groups, social media in government, and more. Read about these projects…

Collaboration Across Boundaries: Insights and Tips from Federal Senior Executives (IBM Business of Government, 2012) - Rosemary O’Leary, Professor of Public Administration, and Catherine Gerard, PARCC Director, have published a report based on survey responses from over 300 members of the federal Senior Executive Service. This report provides valuable insights into how federal senior executives view collaboration. Survey respondents clearly recognize that the job of senior executives today involves collaboration within their agency, their department, and the federal government, as well as with key external partners and stakeholders. The report presents valuable insights into why agencies collaborate, the barriers to collaboration, and the skill set needed to be a collaborative manager. Download the report free of charge (PDF). Rosemary O'Leary was interviewed about this study on Federal News Radio on "In Depth with Francis Rose." Listen to the interview.

"Putting the ‘Public’ Back in Public Values Research: Designing Participation to Identify and Respond to Values" - Tina Nabatchi, Assistant Professor of Public Administration, has published an article in Public Administration Review Volume 72, Issue 5. Read the abstract online.

Practicing Military Anthropology: Beyond Expectations and Traditional Boundaries (2012 Kumarian Press) - Co-edited by Robert A. Rubinstein, this collection explores the relationship between anthropologists and the United States military, which has commanded attention especially in regard to the controversial Human Terrain System (HTS) that embeds anthropologists in military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. In this volume, anthropologists who have either worked with the U.S. armed forces or who teach at military service academies reflect on what they do and teach in their military anthropologist personae. Revealed here are thoughtful and moving essays that deal with issues of ethics, morality and professional decorum. Essential reading for those considering anthropology as a career, those concerned about the relationship of the academy to the military and for those seeking to fathom transformations in our lives following 9/11 and the ongoing “war against terror.”

Systems Research and Behavioral Science Special Issue: Collaborative Problem Solving Amid Conflicts. PARCC Director, Catherine Gerard, along with former PARCC Visiting Fellow and Professor of Public Administration of the Department of Public Management at Beijing Institute of Technology, Ya Li, are  two of the co-editors of Systems Research and Behavioral Science Special Issue: Collaborative Problem Solving Amid Conflicts.  In addition to writing the Opening Editorial for the Special Issue, they co-wrote an article along with Zhichang Zhu, of the University of Hull Business School, United Kingdom, " Learning from Conflict Resolution: An Opportunity to Systems Thinking."  Louis Kriesberg,  Professor Emeritus of Sociology, Maxwell Professor Emeritus of Social Conflict Studies, and founding director of the Program on the Analysis and Resolution of Conflicts (1986–1994) at Syracuse University, also wrote an article, " Mediation in Conflict Systems," which is published in the journal.  

Globalization and Third World Women- Exploitation, Coping, and Resistance. Adopting the notion of “third world” as a political and geographical category, this volume analyzes marginalized women’s experiences of globalization. It unravels the intersections of race, culture, gender, ethnicity, nationality, and class that have shaped the position of these women in the global political economy, as well as their cultural and national history. In addition to a thematically structured and highly informative investigation, the authors offer an exploration of policy implications, which are commonly neglected in mainstream literature. The result is an invaluable volume for scholars in the fields of sociology and women’s studies, social policy experts, and professionals working within non-governmental organizations. Edited by Ligaya Lindio-McGovern is professor of sociology at Indiana University. She is the author of Globalization, Labor Export and Resistance: A Study of Filipino Migrant Domestic Workers in Global Cities. and Isidor Walliman is a visiting research professor at the Maxwell School, Syracuse University. He is the coeditor of On the Edge of Scarcity: Environment, Resources, Population, Sustainability, and Conflict.   

Climate Change and Threatened Communities:  Vulnerability, Capacity, and Action.  Co-Edited by A. Peter Castro, Associate Professor of Anthropology and PARCC Faculty Associate.  This book addresses global climate change and how it disproportionately affects rural people and indigenous groups, but their rights, knowledge, and interests concerning it are generally unacknowledged. Shifts in precipitation, cloud cover, temperature, and other climatic patterns alter their livelihood pursuits and cultural landscapes, accentuating their existing social and economic marginalization. This book argues that planners and researchers of climate change mitigation and adaptation must take into account the knowledge and capacity of rural people, and engage them as active participants in the design and governance of interventions, not as a matter of courtesy, but because it is their right. Furthermore, inclusion of local communities in genuine partnership will likely make climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts more effective.  Presents 15 case studies and a variety of approaches to document the capacities and constraints to be encountered among communities facing changing climates in Bangladesh, Cameroon, Canada, Ecuador, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Italy, Malawi, Mexico, Mozambique, Peru, South Africa, Sudan, United States, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe.  

A Manager's Guide to Evaluating Citizen Participation."  PARCC Faculty Affiliate and Associate Professor of Public Administration, Tina Nabatchi authored this report which was just published by the IBM Center for The Business of Government.  The report provides a practical assessment guide for government program managers so they can assess whether their efforts are making a difference.  The report lays out evaluation steps for both the implementation and management of citizen participation initiatives as well as how to assess the impact of a particular citizen participation initiative.  It lays out evaluation steps for both the implementation and management of citizen participation initiatives and how to assess the impact of a particular citizen participation initiative. An appendix provides helpful worksheets as well.  

Fourth Edition of Constructive Conflicts: From Escalation to Resolution Released.  Louis Kriesberg, Professor Emeritus of Sociology, Maxwell Professor Emeritus of Social Conflict Studies, and founding director of the Program on the Analysis and Resolution of Conflicts and Bruce W. Dayton, Associate Director, Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs and Co-Research Director of the International and Inter-State Conflicts Program at Maxwell’s Program for the Advancement of Research on Collaboration and Conflicts (PARCC) have published, . This comprehensive and highly regarded book provides a framework for analyzing diverse social conflicts.