Advancing Thought-Leadership in Mediation: Highlights from the work of SIDRA

Abstract

This chapter on mediation focuses on the work of the Singapore International Dispute Resolution Academy (SIDRA), a research centre at the Singapore Management University School of Law. It explores how SIDRA has created a platform for thought-leadership in international dispute resolution theory, practice and policy, and explains its three research programmes, namely, the International Dispute Resolution Survey Research Programme, the Singapore Convention on Mediation Research Programme and the Belt and Road Initiative Research Programme. The chapter also addresses how SIDRA’s three research areas complement one another as they explore the interlinks between international litigation, arbitration and mediation. For example, the International Dispute Resolution programme aims to fill a gap in the available data on user experiences of international dispute resolution with a view to informing policy and practice, with the key project being the SIDRA Survey on International Dispute Resolution (SIDRA Survey) commissioned by the Singapore Ministry of Law and administered with the support of PwC South East Asia Consulting. The chapter also explores how SIDRA is engaged in a number of collaborations that harness insights from the three programmes, such as through collaboration with the SMU Law Academy (SMULA) and the SMU Centre for AI and Data Governance. The chapter then outlines SIDRA’s networks to various stakeholders within and outside Singapore, including the Singapore International Commercial Court, the Singapore International Arbitration Centre, the Singapore International Mediation Centre, the Singapore Mediation Centre and the Singapore International Mediation Institute, and international organisations including the World Bank Group and national bodies such as the Vietnamese Judicial Academy.