Getting to :-) The potential of online text-based communication to support interest-based dispute resolution

This book explores the potential of online communication to improve dispute
resolution processes.

The potential of online communication to reduce the costs of dispute resolution
has long been recognized. Apart from cost reduction, online applications may
however also improve the quality of dispute resolution.

In this book, the limitations and benefits of using online communication for
dispute resolution processes are investigated. It is shown that the common
assumption that online communication is too limited for dispute resolution can
be challenged. Online communication can be limiting when offline processes
are copied into an online environment. However, by designing processes
specifically for the medium, innovations are possible that are not available in
offline dispute resolution.

Next, the potential of online communication to support a specific dispute
resolution process is explored. The focus is on tools to support integrative
negotiation, which is a common method for negotiating disputes used widely
in legal practice and embedded in the formal system of many countries in the
form of court-annexed mediation. This process is usually described in general
terms. In this research, the process is broken down into 14 concrete tasks.

Three chapters describe how online applications may support users in dealing
with communication issues (miscommunication, distrust, and strong emotions),
in uncovering interests, and in developing creative outcomes. Examples from
three ODR applications demonstrate how these methods are being used in
practice.

Jelle van Veenen is Researcher at Tilburg Institute for Interdisciplinary
Studies of Civil Law and Conflict Resolution Systems (TISCO) at Tilburg University,
The Netherlands. This edition is the outcome of his PhD research on Integrative
Negotiation Techniques for Online Dispute Resolution.