Law Commons^™

Finding Out If It Is True: Comparing Mediation And Negotiation Through Research, Craig A. Mcewen, Roselle L. Wissler

Journal of Dispute Resolution

In this article, we first use existing research evidence to contextualize more clearly the place of civil case mediation in the litigation process. When we understand civil mediation as part of adversarial litigation - rather than as distinct from it - we see the importance of comparing mediation and unassisted negotiation. Next, we discuss research and commentary on the barriers to negotiation and the ways in which mediation might help overcome them. This work provides a more pragmatic and empirically grounded perspective on the potential value of mediation than does "mediation ideology" and suggests a wide range of "hypotheses" to …