Studies, reports, debriefings, conferences, and “more research” have been the main tools of trade of university educated policy advisors over the last three or so decades. All are of course highly respectable and have their uses -- but also their limits and abuses. Given these limits and that the issues that concern us are, by and large, complex and systemic, and further that they involve reconciling the positions of groups and interests which are usually far from identical and often highly conflicted, we must be prepared to try other less "academic" approaches to knowledge-building, communications, conflict resolution and, finally, mobilization of opinion and resources as well. Instead of always accepting automatically that the right next move is to generate yet more paper (and that in a society that increasingly won't read, never mind act on what they read!), we should be giving more stress to ...

1. Standing around and watching carefully what is really going on

2. Insisting always on the use of simple language

3. Looking for ways to heighten the impact of words (written or spoken)

4. Not excluding humor, wit, jokes, irony (& even the possibility of bad taste, if that's what it takes to increae the level of critical thinking and creativity) from policy discussions

5. Using photographs, photo essays, film, video scenarios, cartoons, posters, drawings and other forms of lively graphic expression and characterization -- to impart greater depth and impact to the issues and realities being faced

6. Architectural and other renderings and techniques to illustrate alternative futures and options

7. Polls, surveys, feedback monitoring schemes which improve awareness of diversity of needs and views

8. Creative use of small samples (cheaper, faster and sometimes even more accurate)

9. Imaginative linking of quantitative analysis with more vivid information conerning the real impacts on individuals, families, firms & communities

10. Socioeconomic analysis, studies and portrayals of actual daily life experience

11. “Day in the life of ... “ profiles, scenarios, stories, rapportages & other “literary” treatments

12. Books and articles on these challenging issues aimed at informing and invovling the general public (as opposed to only the usual specialist or academic readers)

13. Editorials, columns and op-ed pieces (carefully written) to hammer the key points home

14. Games, educational and others, using a wide variety of media

15. Contests, competitions to elicit broader, more vigorous and more imaginative participation in all stages

16. More brilliant use of “commercials”, spots, etc., to achieve educational and social objectives

17. Events, books, images, programs aimed at informing and socializing children

18. Finding ways to involve children actively in both the collective learning experience and the solution process

19. Use of the school system as a resource, to carry out surveys, mini-studies, demonstrations, parent education and activism on thes issues, etc.

20. Using town halls, museums and other public places as centers of exposition and public debate

21. New techniques of knowledge building (including opening up of the policy process to public participants in new and more far-reaching ways)

22. Active networking at all levels of society, and using an increasing variety of media

23. Electronic bulletin boards, networking, conferencing, new group work/groupware techniques

24. Use of simulations, artificial intelligence, etc. to encourage emergence of broader solution sets

25. Innovative techniques of conflict resolution (including iterative adversary programs using video, audio and other feedback techniques)

26. Town meetings & other fora of debate, consensus building & group decision

27. Process-oriented projects involving the semi-structured use of things like brainstorming sessions, roundtables, confrontations of opposing points of view—all oriented to attain specific objectives

28. Cross-project and cross-country support by policy gurus, networks & public interest consortia

29. Demonstrations of new ways of doing things (properly prepared, carefully monitored & flexibly fine-tuned for results)

30. New partnerships with radio, television and the media, which increase public awareness of both issues and trade-offs, as well as direct public involvement in the solution process

31. Active investigation & learning from post mortems of project experience, both successful & other

Since the issues we face are more often than not truly complex and challenging, why should we allow ourselves only one hand (or one side of the brain) with which to tackle them. We might also do worse than to remember Jane Jacobs' closing words in her great book Death and Life of Great American Cities.

The processes that occur in our [societies] are not arcane, capable of being understood only by experts. They can be understood by almost anybody. Many ordinary people already understand this; they simply have not considered that by understanding these ordinary arrangements of cause and effect, we can also direct them, if we want to.

You may also find it handy to consult ftp://ftp.the-commons.org/pub/Tools/ for a number of useful utilities and tools (freeware and shareware) that can facilitate the exchange and use of the various working papers and reports that represent the documentation base of this cooperative program.

___Enter The Commons Here

___Enter The Commons Here

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