This document summarizes Bill Warters' presentation on the role of technology in dispute resolution. It discusses how technology can both agitate and assist with conflict, and notes examples like online dispute resolution (ODR) and platforms that facilitate public engagement and civic hacking. The presentation explores how technology is being used to address issues like property tax appeals, consumer complaints, public policy disputes, and conflicts around water shutoffs in Detroit.

1. Technology’s Role in
Dispute Resolution
Bill Warters, Ph.D.
Academic Director, MA in Dispute Resolution
http://madr.comm.wayne.edu @bwarters
Wayne State University
May 12, 2015

2. Renewal & Reconciliation in Urban
Contexts Conference
May 11-12, 2015
Wayne State University
Dispute Resolution Consortium
Really Great Sessions Yesterday...

3. Communication Technology and Conflict
Online Course I Teach
http://prezi.com/jsfidq72czsy/

4. Tech to the
Rescue?
We’ve always hoped for a
brighter future thanks to
technology

5. Technology and Conflict
Technology is both a source and a solution to conflict

6. Tech’s Many Functions
• Agitate
• Mobilize
• Inform and Educate
• Share Perspectives
• Assist Decision-Making
• Build Consensus
• Construct Agreements
• Create Fear & Doubt
• Challenge Corruption
• Surveil & Document
• and MORE

7. ODR
Online Dispute Resolution

8. + ==
+
Privacy
Disputes
= Consumer Issues
+
Review
Disputes
+ = Commercial
Appropriate fows can be built for any kind of dispute
MODRIA
Modular Online Dispute Resolution Implementation Assistant

9. Self-guided Separation & Divorce
Pathways to Justice 2.0 - the Netherlands

10. Property Tax Assessment Appeals
Powered by MODRIA

11. Global Consumer Complaint
Handling Networks
ODR for Low Value Disputes now Required
for E-Commerce in the EU
http://www.youstice.com/en/

12. Youstice
Consumer
Interface in Your
Language, even
if merchant is not

13. Spanish Online
Congress
E-ADR 2015 - May 12-15
ADR & ODR and
Undocumented
Immigration

14. Public Engagement with Tech
A Continuum from IAP2

15. Local Officials
Unsure about
Engagement
A recent report from Public
Agenda surveyed local
government officials across
California to explore their
thoughts about public
engagement
http://www.publicagenda.org/media/testing-the-waters

16. Traditional Processes
Not Serving the Needs and Skills of Much of the
Population

17. Typical Public Hearings
Leaving Out Key Constituents

18. 11% Are
Rejecters
47% are
Tentatives
42% are
Enthusiastic
Supporters
Public Officials Worry
about Bogging Down the
Process of Government
Opinions on Value of Deliberative Public Engagement
900 Local
Officials
Summer of
2012

19. MindMixer – public feedback platform
 Sustainable Southfield –
http://sustainablesouthfield.mindmixer.com
Southfield MI is using Mindmixer to
engage the public around their Master Plan
Can Technology Be Part of the Solution?

20. ODR for Environmental & Public Policy Disputes
Conan Smith
ODR for Environmental & Public Policy Disputes
Conan Smith
ODR Platforms and Tools
Regulation Room Access to Key
Official
Documents
Comment and
Discussion
Summaries and
Issues
Regulation Room
Soliciting Public Feedback on Complex
Regulation Proposals
http://regulationroom.org

21. Civic Tech and Hacking
Driven by Open Data and Open Source Software
“Distilled to its essence, civic hacking is the
existence of a condition that is suboptimal in
a neighborhood, community or place, and a
desire to effect change on that condition.
That’s it. There is no prerequisite that civic
hacking involve technology or software, it
only needs to involve peple willing to help
fix problems. Apps are incidental to the
larger goal of fixing a community problem.”
— Mark Head
http://civic.io

22. Loomio
Collaborative Discussion and
Decision-making Tool Inspired
by the Occupy Movement
loomio.org

23. Detroit Open Data Portal
Newly created open access data portal
https://data.detroitmi.gov

24. National Day of Civic Hacking
On June 6, 2015, thousands of people from across the United States will come together for National
Day of Civic Hacking. The goal of National Day of Civic Hacking is for residents, community groups,
and government to collaborate to make their communities stronger. Learn more at hackforchange.org
June 12-13
At Grand Circus

25. Code for America
Pairs Tech Developers with Government Agencies
http://codeforamerica.org

26. BLIGHT + TEXTING = BLEXTing
https://makeloveland.com

27. Mobilizing Residents
Technology-Assisted Blight Prevention and Intervention

29. Parcel Details View

30. Tax Foreclosure Map
“A Hurricane without Water”
https://makeloveland.com/2015/mi/wayne/detroit

31. Conflicts About Water

32. Water is for Fighting Over?
Audio clip of opening from
Georgia Public Broadcasting
Video http://waterwar.org
http://www2.worldwater.org/conflict/map/

33. Detroit Water Shutoffs
Attracted National Media Coverage
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/detroit-water-shut-offs-brings-u-n-scrutiny/
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/special-features/2014/08/140822
-detroit-michigan-water-shutoffs-great-lakes/

34. UN World
Water Day
2015
http://www.unwater.org/worldwaterday/
March 22, 2015

35. Connecting Communication
Technology and Water Conflicts
Ron Dauphin on Flickr
Santiago Atienza on Flickr

36. Technology being Used to
Mobilize and Support Residents
https://www.detroitwaterproject.org
http://detroitwaterbrigade.org

37. Race, Regionalism
and Water Panel

38. Water Shutoff Poll

40. Our Panelists
• Dr. Peter Hammer, Director Keith Center, WSU Law
School
• Rose Ellison, Environmental Scientist U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency
• Charles Schoder, Civil Rights Specialist, Community
Relations Michigan Dept. of Civil Rights
• Atty Alice B. Jennings, Edwards & Jennings P.C.
Lead Attorney for Citizens for Detroit and Highland Park
Water Shutoffs

41. Detroit Water Conflict Video
Some Background for Our Discussions - Story published Aug 19, 2014
https://news.vice.com/video/water-war-dry-in-detroit