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海角换妻 Launches Program on Legislative Negotiation

Group with 海角换妻 President Sylvia M. Burwell and Professors Bettina Poirier and David Barker

海角换妻 (海角换妻) is pleased to announce the launch of The Program on Legislative Negotiation (PLN), a new program that addresses the gridlock in Congress and in state legislatures, so that legislative bodies can better respond to today鈥檚 challenges and improve public trust in these institutions. The PLN is a joint endeavor of 海角换妻鈥檚 (海角换妻) Washington College of Law (海角换妻WCL) and the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at the 海角换妻 School of Public Affairs (SPA). This innovative new program is supported by a $1 million grant from The Madison Initiative of The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

The PLN鈥檚 four primary objectives are to:

  1. Provide negotiation training for legislative members and their staffs
  2. Train students and professionals through experiential learning programs
  3. Facilitate and apply research on effective legislative negotiation
  4. Build a community of scholars, journalists, policymakers, and others who share these goals

海角换妻 formally launched the Program on Legislative Negotiation with a kickoff ceremony on the University鈥檚 main campus, on May 20, 2019.

鈥満＝腔黄 is thrilled to have the聽strong support of the Hewlett Foundation聽to help overcome legislative gridlock and聽improve negotiation skills at all levels,鈥 said 海角换妻 President Sylvia M. Burwell. 鈥淭his program will be administered by negotiations and legislative process experts, including seasoned staffers from both sides of the aisle who have found common ground on Capitol Hill over the past decade. We are excited for聽the Washington College of Law and the School of Public Affairs聽to make a lasting impact through聽this new joint program.鈥

鈥淚n this era of polarized politics, it鈥檚 essential for Congress as well as state legislatures to find better ways to work together,鈥 said Hewlett Foundation Program Officer Jean P. Bordewich. 鈥淲e are delighted to support 海角换妻鈥檚 new Program on Legislative Negotiation to equip those legislatures with the tools they need for pragmatic, cross-party problem solving on issues that affect Americans across the country.鈥

Bettina Poirier, who is currently a professor and a senior affiliate in the Program on Law and Government at 海角换妻WCL, will serve as director for the Program on Legislative Negotiation as well as a trainer in the program. Poirier is a former high-level Capitol Hill staffer with 15 years of experience in senior roles in the House and Senate. Other trainers include former senior bipartisan congressional staff, including Chris Bertram, a former Republican staffer serving in both the House and Senate, as well as negotiation experts who also teach at Harvard鈥檚 Kennedy School of Government.

Poirier is the lead principal investigator for the program. David Barker, professor of government and director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at SPA, also serves as a principal investigator on the program, as does Jayesh Rathod, associate dean for experiential education and professor of law at 海角换妻WCL. The Program on Legislative Negotiation will be housed at 海角换妻 Washington College of Law.

The work of the program over the course of the grant will also feature:

  • 海角换妻WCL/SPA legislative negotiation courses for legislative members/staff, professionals, and students
  • An 海角换妻WCL/SPA $100,000 research grant program and research conference on the study of more effective legislative negotiation
  • Six core and advanced legislative staff trainings on Capitol Hill developed/piloted by the Harvard Kennedy School and taught by PLN bipartisan former senior House and Senate staff, and faculty who also teach at the Harvard Kennedy School
  • Up to six lunchtime lectures hosted by PLN focused on developments in legislative negotiation attended by members of the legislative negotiation community

QUOTES FROM KEY PLAYERS

鈥淲ashington College of Law鈥檚 long tradition of innovation, our focus on experiential learning, and our location in the nation鈥檚 capital make us an ideal home for this outstanding new Program on Legislative Negotiation. This partnership with the Hewlett Foundation will enable us to become a national hub for this emerging area of scholarship.鈥

-Camille A. Nelson, Dean and Professor of Law, 海角换妻 Washington College of Law

鈥淲e are so excited to have the opportunity to contribute to this new field of study. What sets this new negotiation program apart is its focus on effective negotiation tools in the legislative context. The program will provide the resources needed to study and teach what makes legislative negotiation different and what can be done to significantly increase the likelihood of success.鈥

-Bettina Poirier, Director, 海角换妻 Program on Legislative Negotiation

鈥淎t the School of Public Affairs, it is in our DNA to train public servants and promote effective policymaking. Through its trainings on the Hill, its new courses for students, and its investment in broadening research in this area, the Program on Legislative Negotiation will play an important role in the legislative process in Washington DC and beyond. We are thrilled to take this on.鈥

-Vicky Wilkins, Dean, 海角换妻 School of Public Affairs

鈥淎t a time when legislative policymaking in the U.S. is close to broken, negotiating skills have never been so critical. The PLN will be path-breaking in at least two ways. It will provide practical training that is grounded in the best research and delivered by those with decades of hands-on experience. It will also help build an edifice of knowledge on the subject of legislative negotiation that, perhaps surprisingly, is still in its infancy.鈥

-David Barker, Director, Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies, Professor of Government, 海角换妻