Resolving Mass Disputes

Edited by Christopher Hodges, Centre for Socio-Legal Studies​ and Wolfson College, Oxford, UK​​ and Astrid Stadler, Professor and Chair of Private Law, Civil Procedure Law, Private International Law and Comparative Law, University of Konstanz, Germany

• Contents:1. Introduction Christopher Hodges and Astrid Stadler2. CADR and Settlement of Claims – A Few Economic ObservationsMichael FaurePART I: SETTLEMENTS OF MASS CLAIMS3. Enforcing Mass Settlements in the European Judicial Area: EU Policy and the Strange Case of Dutch Collective Settlements (WCAM)Xandra E. Kramer4. Collective Settlements in the Netherlands: Some Empirical ObservationsIanika Tzankova and Deborah Hensler5. Settlement and its Pitfalls in England and WalesChristopher Hodges6. Class Actions and Settlement Culture in CanadaJasminka Kalajdzic7. America’s Dynamic and Extensive Experience with Collective LitigationRichard Marcus8. Mass Settlements in AustraliaMichael Legg9. The Legislation and Judicial Practice of China’s Group ActionZhang Wusheng and Liao HaiqingPART II: CONSUMER ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION10. The Origins and Evolution of Consumer Dispute Resolution Systems in EuropeNaomi Creutzfeldt11. Out-of-Court Settlement of Consumer Disputes in Financial Services Iris Benöhr12. Public Enforcement and A(O)DR as Mechanisms for Resolving Mass Problems: A Belgian PerspectiveStefaan Voet13. Online Dispute Resolution in the EU and Beyond – Keeping Costs Low or Standards High?Julia HörnleIndex

’Legal systems worldwide are increasingly grappling with the legal and logistic complexities of collective actions and claims. Although the US-style class action contrasts sharply with the European focus on individual litigation, policy-makers throughout Europe are seeking to reduce judicial budgets, to enhance self-reliance through ADR schemes and to introduce new and efficient forms of redress through collective litigation. Meanwhile, the market for justice is becoming increasingly globalised. Thus, a sense of judicial competition between jurisdictions may accelerate a European movement towards new procedures and paradigms in the realm of collective redress. Against this background, this formidable collection of comparative essays on collective redress and ADR is both timely and unique. This book shows viable pathways to ensuring efficient and balanced collective redress. Excellent contributors and editors have jointly succeeded in connecting ADR and collective redress in ways previously considered disparate.’