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Conflict Resolution Using the Graph Model: Individuals and Coalitions

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Handbook of Group Decision and Negotiation

Abstract

The graph model for conflict resolution is a methodology for the modeling and analysis of strategic conflict. Like related techniques of conflict analysis, it is based on the assumption that the outcome of a conflict depends on the purposive behavior of independent actors. The graph model for conflict resolution stands out among these techniques, both for the flexibility of its models and the breadth of its analysis. The graph model system is prescriptive, aiming to provide a specific decision-maker (DM) with relevant and insightful strategic advice based on his or her own understanding of the situation and preferences about the outcome. The basics of a graph model – DMs, states, movements (graphs), and preferences – are described, along with the stability definitions that form the foundation of the analysis. Developments that facilitate the application of basic graph models are discussed and illustrated, including the decision-support systems GMCR II and GMCR+. A major extension to the graph model is the notion of coalition, representing a group of DMs who can act to achieve an outcome that is in their common interest. The main definitions of coalition moves and coalition improvements are discussed, illustrated, and applied to basic stability definitions, which are both expanded and altered by the extension to coalitions. The capacity of the graph model to generate useful advice is emphasized throughout, and illustrated using a real-life groundwater contamination dispute.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mathematics, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada

    D. Marc Kilgour

  2. Department of Systems Design Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada

    Keith W. Hipel

  3. Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Liping Fang

Authors
  1. D. Marc Kilgour
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  2. Keith W. Hipel
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  3. Liping Fang
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to D. Marc Kilgour .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Wilfrid Laurier University Dept. Mathematics, Waterloo, ON, Canada

    D. Marc Kilgour

  2. University of Strathclyde Strathclyde Business School, Glasgow, UK

    Colin Eden

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Kilgour, D.M., Hipel, K.W., Fang, L. (2020). Conflict Resolution Using the Graph Model: Individuals and Coalitions. In: Kilgour, D.M., Eden, C. (eds) Handbook of Group Decision and Negotiation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-12051-1_13-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-12051-1_13-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-12051-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-12051-1

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