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Matthew McKinney

Matthew McKinney is the director of the Public Policy Research Institute at the Univesity of Montana in Missoula. He was formerly Executive Director of the Western Consensus Council, which is dedicated to promoting fair, effective, and efficient processes for building agreement on natural resources and other public policy issues. He has spent the last 15 years helping citizens and officials with diverse viewpoints design and coordinate forums to build agreement on effective public policy.

The Western Confluence

A Guide To Governing Natural Resources

For 150 years, the American West has been shaped by persistent conflicts over natural resources. This has given rise to a succession of strategies for resolving disputes-prior appropriation, scientific management, public participation, citizen ballot initiatives, public interest litigation, devolution, and interest-based negotiation. All of these strategies are still in play, yet the West remains mired in gridlock.