The Institute

The Public Policy Research Institute is an applied research and education center at The University of Montana.  The Institute is impartial and non-partisan.  It is not an advocate for any particular interest or outcome. 

The Institute promotes sustainable communities and landscapes through collaborative governance, which includes -- but is not limited to -- citizen participation, deliberative democracy, multi-party negotiation, community-based collaboration, cooperative conservation, joint fact finding, and consensus building.  Our efforts focus on:

• Preparing future leaders.
• Building and sharing knowledge to:
  • Advance the theory and methods of collaborative governance;
  • Inform and invigorate public policy.
• Helping citizens and officials solve tough public policy problems.