This book presents a bold new theory of the processes of collective decision-making that draws on theoretical influences ranging from group decision theory through to the authors' own social representations theory. Moscovici and Doise offer a novel analysis of group conflict and the construction of consensus to produce a general theory of collective decisions.

Going beyond the traditional view that compromise is a negative process where group members merely comply in order to sustain cohesion, the authors argue that the conflict at the root of group decisions can be a positive force leading to changes in opinion and to innovation. Their theoretical framework is illustrated in depth with numerous empirical investigations from around the world.

Introduction
The Problem
What Use Are Groups?
The Elementary Forms of Participation in Decisions and Consensus
Extreme Conflicts and Consensuses
The Effects of Private or Public Discussions
Conflicts and Extreme Consensuses
The Role of Values
`Warm and Cold¿ Communications
Consensus in Closed and Open Groups
Decision-Making