Application of Social Judgment Theory in Policy Formulation: An Example

Abstract

Disagreement and protracted argument often frustrate boards and committees charged with developing and implementing public policy. This study describes an effort to minimize irrelevant dispute within a municipal committee charged with acquisition of land to be used for "open space." Social Judgment Theory and interactive computer graphics procedures were used to identify cognitive sources of disagreement among members of the committee with regard to the acquisition of land for open space purposes. Making overt the differences in the relative importance of the factors underlying individual policies resulted in a reduction of the disagreement. Conflict was thus avoided in attaining a compromise policy, the concrete consequences of which were formally adopted by the committee. Strengths and weaknesses of this approach to policy formulation were revealed through a follow-up evaluation, and specific suggestions are given for enhancing the impact of the method in future applications.