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When Can Mediators Build Trust?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 August 2006

ANDREW H. KYDD
ANDREW H. KYDD
Affiliation:
University of Pennsylvania
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Abstract

Mediation is one of the most widespread techniques for preventing conflict and promoting cooperation. I examine the conditions under which mediators can facilitate cooperation by building trust between two parties. Assuming mediators have no intrinsic commitment to honesty, they can be credible trust builders in one-round interactions only if they care about the issue at stake, have a moderate ideal point, and do not find conflict to be too costly. A mediator that is solely interested in promoting cooperation, or one that is biased toward one side, will be ineffective. A desire to preserve a reputation for honesty can overcome a limited amount of bias or issue indifference.

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ARTICLES
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American Political Science Review , Volume 100 , Issue 3 , August 2006 , pp. 449 - 462
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© 2006 by the American Political Science Association

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