The effectiveness of a mediation program in symmetrical versus asymmetrical neighbor-to-neighbor conflicts

Purpose - The last decades, neighborhood mediation programs have become an increasingly popular method to deal with conflicts between neighbors. In the current paper the aim is to propose and show that conflict asymmetry, the degree to which parties differ in perceptions of the level of conflict, may be important for the course and outcomes of neighborhood mediation. Design/methodology/approach - Data for testing the hypotheses were based on coding all (261) files of neighbor conflicts reported to a Dutch neighborhood mediation program in the period from 2006 through 2008. Findings - As expect... Mehr ...