Breaking the Dilemma between Litigation and Non-litigation: “Diversified Mechanisms of Dispute Resolution” in Contemporary China

ABSTRACT: Focusing on the dispute resolution mechanisms for defusing various social disturbances and collective incidents during the reform period and particularly in the last decade, this paper argues that the Chinese government has adopted pragmatic and problem-solving approaches to designing and developing various mechanisms of dispute resolution in response to the complicated and challenging situation of steadily increasing and intensifying social contention. There is evidence that neither litigation nor non litigation means of dispute resolution can effectively resolve social conflicts. In light of this difficulty, various experiments have been put in place at the local level to meet social needs and manage social crises while balancing state power and social self-governance. We call such experiments “diversified mechanisms of dispute resolution (DMDR).” This study sheds light on the shift from an emphasis on the earlier non litigation approach to a more diversified way of addressing collective disputes in contemporary China. KEYWORDS: Diversified Mechanisms of Dispute Resolution, litigation, non-litigation, dispute resolution, social stability, China.