ABSTRACT
Political creativity is the capacity to deal with conflicts through the evolution of “third” alternatives more acceptable to each of the conflicting parties than the positions which initially led to the conflict. For example, the federal aid to education bill became possible when a formula was advanced which satisfied both the Church and the liberal forces advocating the separation of church and state. In this case, however, the evolution and acceptance of the “third” alternative took almost a generation. Similarly, New York City subway, newspaper, and school strikes have been notoriously long. In part this is due to the apparent need to “tire out” the sides until they are weary enough to accept a compromise, but in part it is due to lack of imagination, inventiveness, and leadership of the representatives and intermediaries involved. Creativity cannot resolve all conflicts, but it can reduce their scope, shorten their duration, and reduce their costs.
