Darrin Hicks

My research is focused on two areas: collaboration and political argumentation. In terms of collaboration, I design and evaluate collaborative processes used in community settings, often in the areas of public health and education. My research focuses on the dimensions of high-quality processes, including inclusion, equity, transparency and authenticity. I have developed instruments to assess the quality of collaborative processes and examine how process quality influences programatic outcomes. In terms of political argumentation, I have written extensively on evolving standards of political reasonableness and how they have historically and currently shape political decision-making, with past work focusing on economic regulation, national security policy and the law. A second area of research in political argumentation addresses the nature of political conviction––how it is formed, how it animates public controversy and how it motivates political extremism.