The Graph Model for Conflict Resolution: Past, Present, and Future

Abstract

The Graph Model for Conflict Resolution is a methodology for the modeling and analysis of strategic conflicts. An historical overview of the graph model is presented, including the basic modeling and analysis components of the methodology, the decision support system GMCR II that is now used to apply it, and the recent initiatives that are currently in various stages of development. The capacity of this simple, flexible system to provide advice to decision-makers facing strategic conflicts is emphasized throughout, and illustrated using a real-life groundwater contamination dispute. MotivationThere were two major reasons for developing the methodology of the Graph Model for Conflict Resolution, and later its associated decision support system GMCR II. First, there was a perceived demand for a comprehensive methodology to understand conflict decision-making and conflict resolution. The ubiquity of conflicts means that support is needed not only by decision-makers, but also by mediators -who propose resolutions -and policy-makers who determine the structures within which conflicts are played out. The inescapability of conflict implies that the need for the graph model will continue for as long as humans interact.The second motivation was a view that existing methods failed to provide the kind of analysis and advice that was needed, either because they were too inflexible to be used in most conflict situations, or because they demanded so much information and calibration that they became impractical. The graph model was designed to be simple and flexible, and to have minimal information requirements. At the same time, the suggestions that it makes encourage disputants to 'think outside the box."This paper summarizes the development of the Graph Model, which began in the early 1980s and continues to the present day. The approach is roughly historical: after a discussion of strategic conflicts (Section 2), the basics of the Graph Model are set out in Section 3 (Past),

Analysis of a brownfield management conflict in Canada

“…These software programs provide interfaces for building conceptual models of disputes, performing stability calculations, and interacting with models through stability and sensitivity analyses (Kilgour and Hipel, 2005).…”

Fuzzy Preferences in the Graph Model for Conflict Resolution

“…The main motivation for developing the GMCR was the demand for a comprehensive method to understand conflict decision-making and conflict resolution as existing methods were cumbersome and often failed to provide the needed analysis and advice (Kilgour and Hipel, 2005). The graph model is designed to be simple and flexible, as well as to have minimal information requirements.…”

“…For example, two or more individuals or groups may have (i) opposing objectives, as when a seller tries to get a high price while the buyer aims for a low price, or (ii) differing strategies, as when one political party wants to remove the current ruler through a peaceful protest while another would like a revolution. Other human activities that incorporate strategic conflict include bargaining settings, meetings, military actions, and peace-keeping activities (Kilgour and Hipel, 2005).…”

“…Among these methodologies, conflict resolution researchers and practitioners praise GMCR because of its simplicity and flexibility (Kilgour and Hipel, 2005). Its advantages include its ability to model both irreversible and common moves.…”

“…It provides a flexible framework for defining, comparing, and characterizing various stability concepts, and is easy to apply to real-world disputes. The GMCR methodology has been used for resolving conflicts, including many arising in engineering, such as water resources management, sustainable development, and environmental engineering Hipel and Obeidi, 2005;Kilgour and Hipel, 2005). The methodology can also be applied to disputes arising in other areas, such as in social and political sciences, economics and business.…”