Regulatory negotiation (also called negotiated rule making, policy dialogue, shared decision making, or "reg-neg") is a consensus-building process in which representatives of affected parties and sectors of the public (termed "stakeholders") work together with government officials to develop policies or regulations. Issues subjected to regulatory negotiation include car-emission levels, risk from lead exposure, and contamination cleanup levels. These complex interest-based processes utilize impartial process facilitators—often people who are experienced mediators. Those interests participating in the process are expected to abide by any resulting agreement and implement its terms. This agreement-seeking process usually occurs only after a thorough conflict assessment has been conducted, and is generally undertaken with the assistance of a skilled neutral mediator or facilitator.

Bibliography

Cormick, Gerald; Dale, Norman; Emond, Paul; Sigurdson, Glenn; and Stuart, B. (1996). Building Consensus for a Sustainable Future: Putting Principles into Practice. Ottawa, ON: National Round Table on the Environment and Economy.

Susskind, L., and Cruikshank, J. (1987). Breaking the Impasse: Consensual Approaches to Resolving Public Disputes. New York: Basic Books.

Internet Resource

U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution Web site. Available from http://www.ecr.gov.