[ad_1]
While working for his PhD in sociotechnical research at Stanford University in the 1980s, William Rifkin ’78 studied how a California water quality control board dealt with disputes over pollution cleanup costs. The board was entirely Republican, while its technical staff appeared primarily Democrats – but 99% of the time the parties made mutually acceptable decisions. How? Eliminating testimonies from polluting companies, board staff, and environmental groups, Rifkin concluded that the most productive changes occur when experts allow themselves to be interrupted. With a career focus on fostering dialogue between experts and non-experts, Rifkin says interaction with someone who lets you ask questions is empowering and connecting.
Currently professor emeritus at Newcastle University in Australia, he has recently retired from his position as head of applied regional economics at the school’s Hunter Research Foundation (HRF) Center. “Communication has two elements – an information part and a relationship part,” he says. “They are inextricably intertwined.”
Born in the USA, Rifkin went to Australia after completing his doctorate. He settled down, met his wife, and remained there for his entire career. MIT credits the study of physics for sparking interest in the social aspects of science and teaching to look beyond professional dogma to solve problems.
About a decade ago, the University of Queensland hired Rifkin to determine how communities in a rural area were affected by development to extract natural gas from underground coal seams. Response: Stress – due to the rise in housing prices, the influx of new workers, and concerns about pollution and health. Pro-gas and anti-gas groups lacked the tools to interact efficiently, but his team developed a toolkit that helps industry, government, and community partners assess social and economic impacts. “He described what was going on in these communities in a language that local residents knew and could be understood in seats of power,” he says.
As director of the HRF Centre, Rifkin played a pivotal role in establishing a civic leadership coalition focused on the long-term interests of the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales. Within a year, the Hunter Committee helped make a large investment by the federal government in upgrading the area’s airport.
What all of his work has in common, Rifkin says, is the idea that helping people talk is only half the battle. Dialogue says, “by suspending power relations, it lets people really hear each other.”
[ad_2]
Source link