Skip to main content

Dispute Resolution

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics
  • 26 Accesses

Abstract

The high cost of disputes creates an incentive for parties to disputes to settle. In civil litigation and arbitration, settlement failure may arise from asymmetric information or optimism. Devices to induce settlement include voluntary disclosure and mandatory discovery. The effects of these are considered, as are the English rule (whereby the loser at trial pays the reasonable legal costs of the winner), the use of contingency fees, and the operation of conventional arbitration and final offer arbitration. Researchers continue to propose new arbitration mechanisms in the hope of improving the dispute resolution process.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 6,499.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 8,499.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Bibliography

  • Ashenfelter, O., J. Currie, H. Farber, and M. Spiegel. 1992. An experimental comparison of dispute rates in alternative arbitration systems. Econometrica 60: 1407–1433.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Babcock, L., and G. Loewenstein. 1997. Explaining bargaining impasse: The role of self-serving biases. Journal of Economic Perspectives 11: 109–126.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bar-Gill, O. 2002. The success and survival of cautious optimism: Legal rule, and endogenous perceptions in pre-trial settlement negotiations. Public law working paper No. 35. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Law School.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bebchuk, L. 1984. Litigation and settlement under imperfect information. RAND Journal of Economics 15: 404–415.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Braeutigam, R., B. Owen, and J. Panzar. 1984. An economic analysis of alternative fee shifting systems. Law and Contemporary Problems 47: 173–185.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brams, S., and S. Merrill. 1986. Binding versus final-offer arbitration: A combination is best. Management Science 32: 1346–1355.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cho, I., and D. Kreps. 1987. Signaling games and stable equilibria. Quarterly Journal of Economics 102: 179–222.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Conlin, M. 1999. Empirical test of a separating equilibrium in National Football League contract negotiations. RAND Journal of Economics 30: 289–304.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Daughety, A. 1999. Settlement. In Encyclopedia of law and economics, vol. 5, ed. B. Bouckaert and G. de Geest. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

    Google Scholar 

  • Daughety, A., and J. Reinganum. 1994. Settlement negotiations with two-sided asymmetric information: Model duality, information distribution, and efficiency. International Review of Law and Economics 14: 283–298.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Daughety, A., and J. Reinganum. 2004. Exploiting future settlements: A signaling model of most-favored-nation clauses in settlement bargaining. RAND Journal of Economics 35: 467–485.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Farber, H., and M. Bazerman. 1986. The general basis of arbitrator behavior: An empirical analysis of conventional and final offer arbitration. Econometrica 54: 819–854.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Farmer, A., and P. Pecorino. 1994. Pretrial negotiations with asymmetric information on risk preferences. International Review of Law and Economics 14: 273–281.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Farmer, A., and P. Pecorino. 1998. Bargaining with informative offers: An analysis of final offer arbitration. Journal of Legal Studies 27: 415–432.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Farmer, A., and P. Pecorino. 2003. Bargaining with voluntary transmission of private information: Does the use of final offer arbitration impede settlement? Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization 19: 64–82.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Farmer, A., and P. Pecorino. 2005. Civil litigation with mandatory discovery and voluntary transmission of private information. Journal of Legal Studies 34: 137–159.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Farmer, A., P. Pecorino, and V. Stango. 2004. The causes of bargaining failure: Evidence from major league baseball. Journal of Law and Economics 47: 543–568.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hause, J. 1989. Indemnity, settlement, and litigation, or I’ll be suing you. Journal of Legal Studies 18: 157–179.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hay, B. 1995. Effort, information, settlement, trial. Journal of Legal Studies 24: 29–62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, J.W., and E.A. Snyder. 1998. Allocation of litigation costs: American and English rules. In The new Palgrave dictionary of economics and the law, vol. 1, ed. P. Newman. London: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Landes, W. 1971. An economic analysis of the courts. Journal of Law and Economics 14: 61–107.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McConnell, S. 1989. Strikes, wages and private information. American Economic Review 79: 801–815.

    Google Scholar 

  • Osborne, E. 1999. Who should be worried about asymmetric information in litigation? International Review of Law and Economics 19: 399–409.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Posner, R. 1973. An economic approach to legal procedure and judicial administration. Journal of Legal Studies 2: 399–458.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Priest, G., and B. Klein. 1984. The selection of disputes for arbitration. Journal of Legal Studies 13: 215–243.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reinganum, J., and L. Wilde. 1986. Settlement, litigation, and the allocation of litigation costs. RAND Journal of Economics 17: 557–566.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rubinfeld, D., and S. Scotchmer. 1998. Contingent fees. In The new Palgrave dictionary of economics and the law, vol. 1, ed. P. Newman. London: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schweizer, U. 1989. Litigation and settlement under two-sided incomplete information. Review of Economic Studies 56: 163–178.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shavell, S. 1982. Suit, settlement, and trial: A theoretical analysis under alternative methods for the allocation of legal costs. Journal of Legal Studies 11: 55–82.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shavell, S. 1989. Sharing of information prior to settlement or litigation. RAND Journal of Economics 20: 183–195.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sobel, J. 1989. An analysis of discovery rules. Law and Contemporary Problems 52: 133–159.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spier, K. 1992. The dynamics of pretrial negotiation. Review of Economic Studies 59: 93–108.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spier, K. 1998. Settlement of litigation. In The new Palgrave dictionary of economics and the law, vol. 3, ed. P. Newman. London: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spier, K. 2003a. ‘Tied to the mast’: Most-favored-nation clauses in settlement contracts. Journal of Legal Studies 32: 91–120.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spier, K. 2003b. The use of ‘most-favored-nation’ clauses in settlement of litigation. Rand Journal of Economics 34: 78–95.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stephens, C. 1966. Is compulsory arbitration compatible with bargaining? Industrial Relations 5(1): 38–52.

    Google Scholar 

  • Waldfogel, J. 1998. Reconciling asymmetric information and divergent expectations theories of litigation. Journal of Law and Economics 41: 451–476.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zeng, D. 2003. An amendment to final offer arbitration. Mathematical Social Sciences 46(1): 9–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Copyright information

© 2018 Macmillan Publishers Ltd.

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Farmer, A., Pecorino, P. (2018). Dispute Resolution. In: The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95189-5_2722

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics