Conflict Resolution Quarterly最新文献

{"title":"Efficiency and Effectiveness of Consumer Dispute Mediation: An Empirical Study of Government, Private, and Online Dispute Resolution Forums","authors":"Sony Kulshrestha","doi":"10.1002/crq.70034","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/crq.70034","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Alternative dispute resolution (ADR), specifically mediation, is one of the major tools that are now used to address the rising number of consumer market disputes in the physical and online marketplaces. With increasing numbers of individuals referring to the government agencies, private mediation centers, and online dispute resolution (ODR) platforms, the question remains: which of them is more productive, just, and efficient as an institution? This study examined the effectiveness of consumer mediation across government mediation forums, private mediation centers, and e-commerce-based ODR platforms. The research design was a mixed-method one. The 500 consumer mediation cases were analyzed quantitatively to ascertain the degree of resolution, time to settlement and compliance on the postsettlement aspect in the institutional forums. This was complemented by the qualitative data that were acquired on 75 semistructured interviews with consumers and mediators, and enabled the gain of a better understanding of procedural fairness, power relations and experience by users. Qualitative data were analyzed through thematic analysis. The findings demonstrated significant variation in mediation outcomes across institutional settings. Private mediation centers and ODR platforms exhibited higher resolution efficiency and compliance rates, while government mediation forums showed comparatively lower performance, particularly in cases involving pronounced power asymmetry. Qualitative findings further revealed that perceptions of procedural fairness, mediator intervention, and institutional follow-up mechanisms played a critical role in shaping trust and satisfaction with mediation outcomes. The paper concludes that the issue of institutional design has decisive power in the effectiveness and sustainability of consumer mediation. Procedural transparency, capacity of the mediator, and enforcement may be very beneficial in enhancing access to justice and consumer confidence in dispute resolution mechanisms, particularly in government forums.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":39736,"journal":{"name":"Conflict Resolution Quarterly","volume":"44 1","pages":"77-88"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148862296","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Conflict Management Strategies Among Cohabiting Undergraduate Students in Ilorin, Nigeria","authors":"Lanre Abdul-Rasheed Sulaiman,&nbsp;Moshood Issah,&nbsp;Austin A. Ayodele","doi":"10.1002/crq.70029","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/crq.70029","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Conflicts among cohabiting partners are often more complex or intractable because their relationships are not formalized culturally or institutionally. The inability to resolve conflicts among cohabiting partners may threaten their safety and well-being. To maintain healthier relationships, it is imperative for cohabiting partners to adopt appropriate conflict management strategies. Thus, this study examines the extent of adoption and the effects of socio-demographic factors on the use of conflict management strategies among cohabiting partners in selected higher institutions in Ilorin, Nigeria. The population for this study comprised undergraduate students of the University of Ilorin and Kwara State Polytechnic who were in cohabiting relationships for at least one academic session. A total of 161 undergraduate students who had cohabited for at least one academic session agreed to participate in the study. A questionnaire was used to collect the data. Logistic regression was employed to determine the probability of adopting conflict management strategies by different groups of respondents. The analysis revealed that female respondents had a higher probability of adopting avoidance conflict management strategies in cohabiting relationships compared to males (AOR = 0.64; 95% CI: [0.44–0.89]; <i>p</i>-value = 0.003). Furthermore, older respondents were more likely to adopt compromise conflict management strategies in cohabiting relationships compared to younger respondents (AOR = 0.62; 95% CI: [0.51–0.97]; <i>p</i>-value = 0.001) and (AOR = 0.78; 95% CI: [0.56–0.91]; <i>p</i>-value = 0.001). Female undergraduates were more likely than male undergraduates to adopt avoidance conflict management strategies in cohabiting relationships. Based on findings that males are less likely to adopt avoidance (AOR = 0.64; <i>p</i> = 0.003), the study suggests regular enlightenment programs for male undergraduates on balanced conflict management strategies to reduce escalation and promote equity in cohabiting relationships. This study fills a critical gap in the literature because it is among the first to quantitatively examine socio-demographic influences on specific conflict management strategies (collaboration, avoidance and compromise) among cohabiting undergraduates in Nigeria. This is novel and imperative because Nigeria is a context where cohabitation remains culturally stigmatized. But, cohabitation is increasingly prevalent. This often exacerbates conflict due to lack of formal institutional support.</p>","PeriodicalId":39736,"journal":{"name":"Conflict Resolution Quarterly","volume":"44 1","pages":"5-17"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/crq.70029","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148862429","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From Custom to Court: The Evolution of Mediation in European Legal Systems","authors":"Viktoriia Hamaiunova","doi":"10.1002/crq.70035","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/crq.70035","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This article traces how European mediation has repeatedly rebalanced three variables—(1) the source of mediator authority, (2) the degree of institutionalization, and (3) the operative meaning of voluntariness—from antiquity to the present. Using three periods—Proto-Mediation (c. 500 BCE–c. 1750), Classical Mediation (c. 1750–1976), and ADR-Era Mediation (1976–present)—it shows how authority migrated from communal standing to professional or court-adjacent credential; how informal practice became standardized procedure; and how voluntariness shifted from social expectation to legally managed participation (sometimes via “mandatory” gateways). The analysis explains contemporary court-connected designs as the latest turn in a long European cycle and offers a historically grounded synthesis centred on the authority–institutionalization–voluntariness triad. How have authority, institutionalization, and voluntariness been historically reconfigured in European mediation, and what do these recurrent configurations imply for the design and legitimacy of contemporary court-connected mediation?</p>","PeriodicalId":39736,"journal":{"name":"Conflict Resolution Quarterly","volume":"44 1","pages":"139-152"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/crq.70035","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148862213","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Defining Reconciliation Studies: Theoretical and Practical Dimensions","authors":"Colleen Alena O’Brien","doi":"10.1002/crq.70031","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/crq.70031","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Reconciliation studies (RS) has become increasingly influential in understanding alternative views to ending conflict and dealing with the aftermath. As a discipline or field, however, it is not well defined. The actual usefulness of reconciliation (as a concept), or of RS (as a discipline), is debated, and due to its growing usage, it is critical to understand what is meant by it so that we can better evaluate its utility. In this article, I seek to show what RS actually <i>is</i> by reviewing existing literature and illustrating the definitional and conceptual gaps that complicate arriving at a shared understanding while outlining its main features. First, I look at definitions of the concept of reconciliation in the academic world, followed by the applied world. Then I look at RS as an academic discipline, starting with academic departments that offer degrees in Reconciliation (Studies). I then show that there are commonalities in definitions of RS and argue that it has distinct features, which is why it should be considered a separate discipline from others with which it is often associated (e.g., Conflict Resolution, Theology). I conclude with critiques of the concept of reconciliation and reconciliation studies, as well as further questions and suggestions. My approach is thus inductive, viewing academic research that uses reconciliation and/or is working within reconciliation studies and academic programs as empirical data to build a definition of reconciliation studies.</p>","PeriodicalId":39736,"journal":{"name":"Conflict Resolution Quarterly","volume":"44 1","pages":"89-100"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/crq.70031","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148862490","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"War and Digital Financial Inclusion: Role of Digital Financial Services in War and Armed Conflict","authors":"Peterson Ozili","doi":"10.1002/crq.70028","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/crq.70028","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This article explores the trend in digital financial inclusion during war. It also explores the importance and challenges of digital financial inclusion during war. War and armed conflict adversely affect people. Their struggle to survive the war becomes even more difficult when they are unable to visit a bank branch to access formal financial services during war due to lockdowns and curfews that lead to the closure of physical financial access points. This study gathers insights from war data and shows that the use of digital financial services increased during war. The study also suggests some strategies for increasing the level of digital financial inclusion during war. The insights offered in this study can assist policymakers and financial service providers in ensuring that people in conflict zones have access to digital financial services to meet their subsistence and survival needs during war.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":39736,"journal":{"name":"Conflict Resolution Quarterly","volume":"44 1","pages":"31-38"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148862248","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Echo Chambers of Conflict: Social Media's Impact on the Israel-Hamas War Debate. By Jonathan Matusitz Jonah Lynne, Berlin: De Gruyter, 2025. 290 pp., price around 70$ (amazon) (hardcover). ISBN: 978-3-11-173684-6","authors":"Mateo Velastegui Guadalupe","doi":"10.1002/crq.70038","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/crq.70038","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":39736,"journal":{"name":"Conflict Resolution Quarterly","volume":"44 1","pages":"127-128"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148862361","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From Legalism to Engagement: Strengthening Parties' Preparation for Mediation","authors":"Vittorio Indovina","doi":"10.1002/crq.70027","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/crq.70027","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This article reports the findings of a survey of 228 Italian mediators on parties' preparation for mediation in civil and commercial disputes. The study found that a significant portion of mediation occurs among parties, mandatorily assisted by a lawyer, who lack preparation on key elements of mediation, including considering their interests and assessing the strengths and weaknesses of their case. Interestingly, managing emotions and repairing relationships are among the most overlooked aspects of mediation preparation. Parties' preparation varies depending on the type of dispute, and this study provides quantitative data showing that settlement rates increase when all parties are prepared and actively participate in mediation. This study critically discusses the abovementioned data, and it examines policy options to address party underpreparation, and it emphasizes the limitations of the legalistic approach, intended here as a top-down, rule-based policymaking strategy. It advocates for a decentralized approach to mediation policymaking and the adoption of local best practices developed through well-structured stakeholder engagement processes. Members of local legal communities, such as judges, lawyers, mediators, and not an unsophisticated central legislator, should drive the development of local best practices that meet the needs of local legal communities and enhance parties' participation and outcomes in mediation.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":39736,"journal":{"name":"Conflict Resolution Quarterly","volume":"44 1","pages":"19-30"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148862162","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Calibrated Autonomy: China's 2026 Business Mediation Ordinance and the Reconfiguration of Dispute Resolution","authors":"M. Francis Cao","doi":"10.1002/crq.70039","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/crq.70039","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This article argues that China's 2026 Business Mediation Ordinance represents neither progress toward rule of law nor retreat from it. I propose instead that we are witnessing something I call “calibrated autonomy”—the strategic construction of spaces for private ordering that remain tethered to Party-State oversight through multiple institutional linkages. The dominant scholarly frameworks miss this. Matthew Erie sees new legal hubs; Carl Minzner sees a turn against law; Björn Ahl sees judicial institutional strategies. Each captures something real. But none grasps the distinctive logic at work: the Party-State deliberately creates bounded zones of legal autonomy precisely because such zones serve its interests, while structuring those zones to ensure continued control. This is not rule of law. It is not its absence. It is a third thing—one that challenges us to rethink how we understand legal development under authoritarian conditions. The analysis extends conflict resolution theory by demonstrating that the characteristics Western scholarship treats as universal features of mediation—party autonomy, mediator neutrality, voluntariness—are contingent features of particular institutional arrangements, and it raises practical questions about enforcement of mediated settlements under the Singapore Convention when mediation systems embed state oversight.</p>","PeriodicalId":39736,"journal":{"name":"Conflict Resolution Quarterly","volume":"44 1","pages":"129-138"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/crq.70039","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148862482","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The April 2021 Ethnic Conflict in Ataye Town and Its Vicinities: Actors, Driving Motives, and Pathways to Resolution","authors":"Muhammed Seid Ahmed,&nbsp;Alemayehu Yimam Zelle","doi":"10.1002/crq.70036","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/crq.70036","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Ethnic conflicts have emerged as a central concern in contemporary global politics and represent a major challenge to international peace. As part of the conflict-prone African continent, Ethiopia continues to face this pressing issue. The ethnic conflict in Ataye Town and its surrounding areas, though previously unstudied through rigorous academic inquiry, constitutes a significant case. Since identifying the actors in a conflict and their underlying interests is essential for resolution, this study aims to identify the major actors involved in the April 2021 inter-ethnic conflict in Ataye Town and the surrounding areas of the Oromo Special Zone in the Amhara Region. It also examines how and why these actors became involved. To achieve these objectives, the study adopted a qualitative approach, drawing on primary and secondary data analyzed thematically. Following a thorough analysis, the study finds that the April 2021 inter-ethnic conflict involved several actors, including the TPLF, OLA/Shene, the Amhara Special Force, arms and human traffickers, local and zonal administrators, and regional governments. This study demonstrates that while primordial and constructivist factors provide context, the conflict is most convincingly explained through an instrumentalist lens, wherein ethnicity is manipulated for political and economic gain. To prevent future conflicts, the study recommends addressing the root causes and engaging in genuine reconciliation regarding past conflict incidents.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":39736,"journal":{"name":"Conflict Resolution Quarterly","volume":"44 1","pages":"101-110"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148862502","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"No Good Time to Negotiate? Effective Track Two Dialogue in Protracted Israel-Palestine Conflict Escalation","authors":"Oliver Fink,&nbsp;Wilfried Graf,&nbsp;Shashanka Subrahmanya,&nbsp;Aadesh Salecha,&nbsp;Johannes C. Eichstaedt","doi":"10.1002/crq.70032","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/crq.70032","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Intergroup hostilities and the interaction of local and global crises emphasize the importance of attenuating their destructive effects. Third-party dialogues can facilitate peace, and prior research has made progress towards a <i>contextual</i> understanding of such dialogues. However, the success of dialogues also depends on <i>process</i> factors. Here, we explore psychological process aspects of conflict dialogue within differing contexts, particularly during the onset of severe escalation. Our study reveals language markers that differentiate especially effective dialogues, foregrounding productive discourse elements. The research examines linguistic patterns of Track Two dialogue (Interactive Problem Solving) in the protracted Israeli-Palestinian conflict over several decades (1982–2011). We rely on well-established dictionaries (Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count, LIWC 2022) to compare the language used in dialogues during the onset of severe escalation versus more conciliatory conflict phases. Particularly effective dialogue is characterized by stronger social affiliation, more “we” versus “I” language, as well as language reflecting achievement and discrepancy. Our findings indicate psychological progression associated with interactive complex thinking during conflict dialogue, suggesting that dialogues can remain impactful in the short term, positively influencing participants' emotions, attitudes, and creative problem-solving despite the onset of severe escalation.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":39736,"journal":{"name":"Conflict Resolution Quarterly","volume":"44 1","pages":"49-63"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148862506","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}