What is a “case”?

Lynn Mather

doi:10.35295/osls.iisl/0000-0000-0000-1149

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Lynn Mather SUNY

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https://doi.org/10.35295/osls.iisl/0000-0000-0000-1149

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Litigation, case, dispute processing, courts, claims, Litigio, caso, proceso de disputas, tribunales, demandas

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This article interrogates the concept of a “case” in court, in an effort to clarify underlying concerns in debates over whether there is “too much” or “too little” litigation. One perspective on litigation takes a bottom-up view, examining the considerations and motives of disputing parties who file civil claims. This perspective includes theories about litigation and social structure, economics, dispute transformation, political participation, and psychology. An alternative top-down view examines litigation from the perspective of government, including its interest in dispute resolution, social control, and institutional capacities of courts. The article reviews and critiques existing literature on these perspectives and concludes with the importance of integrating them.

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##submission.authorBiography##

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Lynn Mather is SUNY Distinguished Service Professor Emerita of Law and Political Science at University at Buffalo Law School, State University of New York and Research Professor of Justice Studies at University of New Hampshire.

Address: 21 Basin Front Drive, Newbury MA 01951 USA.

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