What is Harvard INP?
The Harvard International Negotiation Program researches emotional and identity-based dynamics of conflict and develops practical tools to overcome them. Founded in 2000, our faculty have produced foundational conflict resolution texts such as Beyond Reason and Negotiating the Nonnegotiable, advised key global leadership and grassroots organizations confronting large-scale conflict, and field-tested ideas in the crucibles of conflict. We have spread our empirically supported frameworks and tools to people at all levels of society, including to governments leaders and businesses leaders, NGOs, and other organizations. To address the psychological roots of conflict resolution, INP is based in the psychology department at Harvard Medical School/McLean Hospital and at the Harvard Negotiation Project at Harvard Law School. We work closely with faculty and students across disciplines to advance research and education in conflict resolution:
Why INP Matters
From North America to the Middle East, North Korea to the Great Lakes Region, rising divisions are threatening peace and security–yet the traditional tools of decision making are insufficient for resolving them. Contemporary polarizations tend to implicate ideological grievances, historical animosity, and tribalistic dynamics–forces that are immune to rational intervention alone. In fact, most “new” conflicts typically are the reemergence of longstanding disputes, and globalization now ensures that no region of the world is immune from their impact on human life, economic growth, and international justice and order. Thus, we advance research and education on the emotional complexities of conflict resolution:
Research. Our global efforts are rooted in the most current research of INP’s faculty and associates. We conduct scientific research on optimal approaches to conflict resolution, drawing on neuroscience, social psychology, clinical psychology, sociology, and related fields. We also empirically investigate the impact of educational initiatives and spread our findings through journal articles, books, working papers, and presentations. Our impact is strengthened by Harvard’s global reach, contributing to a deeper understanding of the processes of conflict resolution and reconciliation.
Education. At Harvard, we train current and future leaders in methods of conflict resolution through undergraduate and graduate-level courses, executive education workshops, and lectures, as well as through internship opportunities and mentorship. To broaden our impact, we collaborate with governments and organizations around the world to build and implement high-impact, research-backed curricula on negotiation and conflict resolution. We have worked with (and learned from) a great variety of partners including faculty at universities across the continents, NGOs, government officials, and seasoned negotiators who have contributed to the resolution of intractable conflicts.
Our work is founded on three basic principles:
- Psychological insights are critical. Facts and figures are important, but emotions and identity are key drivers in high-stakes conflicts. A threat to who we are and what we stand for can trigger powerful emotions that impel us to act against our rational interests. But INP’s research also shows that the key to resolving these conflicts lies in the constructive use of emotions and identity.
- Sustainable peace requires multi-stakeholder cooperation. While conflict is often negotiated by a small segment of actors—typically political decision makers and opposition groups—sustainable peace requires involvement of a wider range of involved parties, including business leaders, lawyers, economists, spiritual leaders, psychologists, global health experts, and civil society representatives.
- Prevention works best. Rather than wait for conflict to escalate, INP spreads its methodologies proactively, increasing the likelihood that parties will be well-equipped to negotiate peaceful resolution to emergent conflicts. Our prevention work drastically reduces the human and economic costs of conflict – and at times has helped parties avert conflict altogether.