Conflict management within a relative utility framework: Theory and applications.

摘要

The purpose of this dissertation is to better understand conflicts, to build a conflict management framework which incorporates better understanding of conflicts, and to extend and apply the framework to some of the more complex but realistic conflict situations. To do so, the relative utility concept with pairwise comparisons will be employed throughout this dissertation. On the basis of the relative utility concept, a conflict management framework is constructed, particularly for the Korean peninsula conflict situation, and is extended into a more general model both theoretically and in application.; After an introduction, the second chapter reviews some of the relevant literature in the study of conflict management either directly related to the current study of this dissertation or that is important in this field.; In chapter three, a model of conflict management is developed for resolving conflict where the conventional approaches do not provide resolution. The model attempts to provide a possible cooperative way to resolve conflict between South and North Koreas, and is based on an experiment (through several rounds of interview) with some experts on the Korean conflict situation. The basic framework employed is a benefit/cost analysis using a priorities-determining method over policies and objectives.; In chapter four, as a more theoretic extension of the previous chapter, several conflict management procedures are developed where fusion of some of the solid approaches of international scholars, non-mathematicians and non-economists, with the insight that comes from rational man thinking is attempted. Particularly, the procedures are constructed in a framework whereby all information needed for the procedures are elicited by the participants using pairwise comparisons, and a set of indifference curves for each party is inferred from the information elicited.; In chapter five, using the tools developed in the previous chapter a mediator's programming procedure on conflict management is developed. It is focused on the role of third parties involved with a conflict situation. This procedure, based on pairwise comparisons and the relative utility concept, shows that eliminating the third parties can improve the conflict situation. What is emphasized is that the procedure is built on the interaction between a mediator and the participants involved with the conflict situation.; The last chapter presents conclusions evaluating the relative utility framework developed in this dissertation, especially for resolving conflicts where the conventional methods are inadequate.