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Sedan år 2008 har alla kommuner i Sverige skyldighet att tillämpa Lag om medling med anledning av brott, 2002:445 i samband med en ung lagöverträdare. Bakgrunden till arbetet är att det fanns en önskan om att belysa medling och utvärdera insatsen som bedrivs i samverkan mellan medlingsverksamheten, Polis- och Åklagarmyndigheten, Socialtjänsten, Kriminalvården och domstolens beaktning av detta. Medling som insats grundar sig i teorin om reparativ rättvisa med fokus på att reparera skadan mellan gärningsperson och brottsutsatt. Syftet med föreliggande studie är att utvärdera medverkande aktörers upplevelser av medlingsprocessen i Malmö stad och vilka utvecklingsmöjligheter som identifieras i relation till det brottsförebyggande och trygghetsskapande arbetet. Studien förväntas bidra med utvärderingsunderlag och fördjupad kunskap om medling som brottsförebyggande och trygghetsskapande insats. Materialet har bestått av nio kvalitativa intervjuer med samtliga sex deltagande aktörer i medlingsprocessen. Intervjuerna har transkriberats och sedan analyserats genom tematisk analys. Resultatet som identifierades var att medling i Malmö stad till stor grad fungerar bra, men att det finns utvecklingsmöjligheter som kan förbättra insatsens framgång. Bland annat genom en tydlig ansvarsfördelning, ökad tillfrågan, ökad kvalitet och antal uppföljningar. Medverkande aktörer har betonat att medling kan, om det genomförs på rätt sätt bidra med stora vinster för brottsutsatt och gärningsperson. Studiens resultat kan nyttjas av samtliga aktörer för möjligheten att vidareutveckla insatsen i Malmö stad, men även för andra kommuner att ta del av i sitt arbete med medling. I nuläget saknas dagsaktuella effektutvärderingar av insatsen som kan tillämpas på dagens samhälle, såväl som en kvalificerad processutvärdering som kan följa upp alla de 15 steg som ingår i en kvalificerad uppföljning, vilket är en rekommendation för framtida forskning. / Since the year of 2008 every municipality of Sweden has a responsibility to apply the Law of mediation regarding crime, 2002:445 associated with juvenile delinquents. The background to this paper is established with a desire to shed light on mediation and to evaluate the effort conducted in collaboration between the mediation activity, police authority, prosecutors office, social services, prison service and is considered by the court. Mediation as effort is based upon the theory of restorative justice, focusing on repairing the damage between the victim and perpetrator. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the participating actors' experiences of the mediation process in Malmö and what developmental opportunities are identified in relation to the crime preventive and security-creating efforts. The study intends to contribute with evaluation data and in depth knowledge regarding mediation as a crime preventive and security-creating effort. The data consisted of nine qualitative interviews, including the six participating actors in the mediation process. The interviews were transcribed and then analyzed through a thematic analysis. The results identified that mediation in Malmö to a large extent works well. However, developmental improvements were detected to improve the efforts' success through a distinct division of responsibilities, increased questioning, the quality and quantity of follow-ups. The participating actors emphasized that mediation can contribute with profits for the victim and perpetrator. The results of the study can be used by all actors in the mediation process to further develop the effort in Malmö. Nevertheless, other municipalities can make use of this paper in their work regarding mediation. Currently, there are no effect evaluations on mediation that can be applied on today’s society, as well as qualified process evaluations with a follow up on all the 15 steps in the qualified follow-up, which is a recommendation for future research.

Writing research articles in English is a common requirement in doctoral studies in the natural sciences; however, learning to write the research article genre is challenging, particularly in a foreign language (L2). A potential resource for learning the RA genre is giving and receiving peer review. L2 writers at the undergraduate level have been found to benefit from PR, but less  is known about the learning of L2 writers at the graduate level who are writing for specialized discourse communities. The aim of this dissertation is to describe how a group of L2 doctoral students in the natural sciences used online peer review in a research writing course. Inductive analysis was used to categorize the kinds of review comments that 11 course participants gave and received. In another study, three students’ revised texts were analyzed in detail to see how they used peer comments. To explore  students’ perceptions of using the PR activity, pre and post course interviews were inductively analyzed.  Findings were interpreted using Vygotskian constructs of learning in order to see where mediation likely occurs.  The combined studies suggest that reviewers adopted roles that influenced what they noticed, analyzed and languaged. As a group, they focused on the lexical and syntactic precision of peers’ texts, as well as the organization, cohesion, voice, stance and research knowledge. Writers used the intent of the review comments approximately 40 percent of the time, but this usage reflected only a small portion of the writers’ revision activities that occurred in response to review.  Other activities included composing, re-writing, investigating, interviewing outsiders, and re-ordering the texts.  Writers found precision and organizational comments most useful. Findings from these combined studies indicate that peer review can be a potentially powerful tool for doctoral students to familiarize themselves with discipline-specific research articles.

Text in Afrikaans with summaries in Afrikaans and English / For many years divorce has been viewed exclusively as a legal problem that had to be addressed by the courts in our adversarial system of litigation. Divorce, however, also entails social problems which are not addressed in our legal system. It appears further that our adversarial legal system tends to heighten the conflicting interests of individual family members at divorce and to encourage animosity and irreconcilability. In an attempt to ameliorate the harsh consequences of the adversarial legal system at divorce, two no-fault grounds for divorce were introduced to enable divorcing spouses to make the decision about the termination of their marriage themselves. This greater freedom that no-fault divorce afforded parties quickly led to a demand for a new system of dispute resolution at divorce. The Hoexter Commission consequently, recommended the establishment of a family court with a social component where mediation services are offered. In both Australia and New Zealand the introduction of no-fault divorce was attended by the establishment of family courts where mediation services are offered. In mediation the parties involved, with the assistance of an impartial third, may sort out and find solutions to all their divorce-related problems. It also appears that mediation has always played a prominent role in the resolution of family disputes in the indigenous communities of South Africa. Owing to financial restrictions, South Africa is still without a family court. So far, only the Mediation in Certain Divorce Matters Act 24 of 1987 has emanated from the recommendations of the Hoexter Commission. This Act, which provides for the institution of enquiries by the office of the family advocate to determine the best interests of children at divorce, professes in its title to have introduced mediation as an alternative system of dispute resolution at divorce. From the contents of the Act it is apparent, however, that it provides for mediation only in a very limited sense. Consequently, it is necessary to amend this Act to make provision for real, comprehensive and accessible mediation services for the public in all family law disputes. This amendment could best be achieved by regulating existing private and community mediation services and integrating them into the formal legal process. / Egskeiding is baie jare lank as 'n regsprobleem beskou wat in ons adversatiewe stelsel van litigasie uitsluitlik deur die howe uitgestryk moes word. Egskeiding behels egter ook maatskaplike probleme wat nie deur ens regstelsel ondervang word nie. Ons adversatiewe regstelsel verskerp boonop die teenstrydige belange van individuele gesinslede by egskeiding en moedig verbittering en onversoenlikheid aan. Weens die probleme wat die skuldbeginsel en die adversatiewe stelsel vir gades met huweliksprobleme en vir die egskeidingsproses in die algemeen veroorsaak het, is twee skuldlose egskeidingsgronde in 1979 ingevoer wat aan gades wat wil skei, groter inspraak en seggenskap in die hele proses gegee het. Hierdie groter vryheid wat skuldlose egskeiding meegebring het, het spoedig 'n behoefte aan 'n nuwe stelsel van dispuutbeslegting by egskeiding geskep. Die Hoexterkommissie het gevolglik aanbeveel dat 'n gesinshof met 'n maatskaplike komponent ingestel word waarby onder andere bemiddelingsdienste beskikbaar meet wees. In sowel Australie as Nieu-Seeland het die invoering van skuldlose egskeiding inderdaad gepaardgegaan met die instelling van gesinshowe waar bemiddelingsdienste beskikbaar is. In die bemiddelingsproses kan mense self, maar met die bystand van 'n onpartydige derde, al hulle probleme by egskeiding uitsorteer en oplos. Dit blyk verder dat bemiddeling nog altyd 'n prominente rol by die beslegting van gesinsgeskille in inheemsregtelike gemeenskappe in Suid-Afrika gespeel het. Weens finansiele beperkings is Suid-Afrika nog steeds sonder 'n gesinshof. Al wat tot dusver uit die Hoexterkommissie se aanbevelings voortgevloei het, is die Wet op Bemiddeling in Sekere Egskeidingsaangeleenthede 24 van 1987 wat daarvoor voorsiening maak dat die kantoor van die gesinsadvokaat by egskeiding ondersoeke na die beste belange van kinders kan instel. Alhoewel die titel van die Wet voorgee om vir bemiddeling as 'n alternatiewe stelsel van dispuutbeslegting by egskeidng voorsiening te maak, blyk dit uit die inhoud van die Wet dat dit bloot vir 'n baie beperkte vorm van bemiddeling voorsiening maak. Dit is gevolglik nodig dat hierdie Wet gewysig word om by alle familieregtelike kwessies vir ware, omvattende en toeganklike bemiddelingsdienste aan die publiek voorsiening te maak. Die geskikste wyse waarop dit bewerkstellig kan word, is om bestaande private en gemeenskapsbemiddelingsdienste te reguleer en in die formele regsproses te integreer. / Private Law / LL.D.

Text in Afrikaans, abstract in Afrikaans and English / Egskeiding is baie jare lank as 'n regsprobleem beskou wat in ons adversatiewe stelsel van litigasie uitsluitlik deur die howe uitgestryk moes word. Egskeiding behels egter ook maatskaplike probleme wat nie deur ons regstelsel ondervang word nie. Ons adversatiewe regstelsel verskerp boonop die teenstrydige belange van individuele gesinslede by egskeiding en moedig verbittering en onversoenlikheid aan. Weens die probleme wat die skuldbeginsel en die adversatiewe stelsel vir gades met huweliksprobleme en vir die egskeidingsproses in die algemeen veroorsaak het, is twee skuldlose egskeidingsgronde in 1979 ingevoer wat aan gades wat wil skei, groter inspraak en seggenskap in die hele proses gegee het. Hierdie groter vryheid wat skuldlose egskeiding meegebring het, het spoedig 'n behoefte aan 'n nuwe stelsel van dispuutbeslegting by egskeiding geskep. Die Hoexterkommissie het gevolglik aanbeveel dat 'n gesinshof met 'n maatskaplike komponent ingestel word waarby onder andere bemiddelingsdienste beskikbaar moet wees. In sowel Australie as Nieu-Seeland het die invoering van skuldlose egskeiding inderdaad gepaardgegaan met die instelling van gesinshowe waar bemiddelingsdienste beskikbaar is. In die bemiddelingsproses kan mense self, maar met die bystand van 'n onpartydige derde, al hulle probleme by egskeiding uitsorteer en oplos. Dit blyk verder dat bemiddeling nog altyd 'n prominente rol by die beslegting van gesinsgeskille in inheems regtelike gemeenskappe in Suid-Afrika gespeel het. Weens finansiele beperkings is Suid-Afrika nog steeds sonder 'n gesinshof. Al wat tot dusver uit die Hoexterkommissie se aanbevelings voortgevloei het, is die Wet op Bemiddeling in Sekere Egskeidingsaangeleenthede 24 van 1987 wat daarvoor voorsiening maak dat die kantoor van die gesinsadvokaat by egskeiding ondersoeke na die beste belange van kinders kan instel. Alhoewel die titel van die Wet voorgee om vir bemiddeling as 'n alternatiewe stelsel van dispuutbeslegting by egskeidng voorsiening te maak, blyk dit uit die inhoud van die Wet dat dit bloot vir 'n baie beperkte vorm van bemiddeling voorsiening maak. Dit is gevolglik nodig dat hierdie Wet gewysig word om by alle familieregtelike kwessies vir ware, omvattende en toeganklike bemiddelingsdienste aan die publiek voorsiening te maak. Die geskikste wyse waarop dit bewerkstellig kan word, is om bestaande private en gemeenskapsbemiddelingsdienste te reguleer en in die formate regsproses te integreer. / For many years divorce has been viewed exclusively as a legal problem that had to be addressed by the courts in our adversarial system of litigation. Divorce, however, also entails social problems which are not addressed in our legal system. It appears further that our adversarial legal system tends to heighten the conflicting interests of individual family members at divorce and to encourage animosity and irreconcilability. In an attempt to ameliorate the harsh consequences of the adversarial legal system at divorce, two no-fault grounds for divorce were introduced to enable divorcing spouses to make the decision about the termination of their marriage themselves. This greater freedom that no-fault divorce afforded parties quickly led to a demand for a new system of dispute resolution at divorce. The Hoexter Commission consequently, recommended the establishment of a family court with a social component where mediation services are offered. In both Australia and New Zealand the introduction of no-fault divorce was attended by the establishment of family courts where mediation services are offered. In mediation the parties involved, with the assistance of an impartial third, may sort out and find solutions to all their divorce-related problems. It also appears that mediation has always played a prominent role in the resolution of family disputes in the indigenous communities of South Africa. Owing to financial restrictions, South Africa is still without a family court. So far, only the Mediation in Certain Divorce Matters Act 24 van 1987 has emanated from the recommendations of the Hoexter Commission. This Act, which provides for the institution of enquiries by the office of the family advocate to determine the best interests of children at divorce, professes in its title to have introduced mediation as an alternative system of dispute resolution at divorce. From the contents of the Act it is apparent, however, that it provides for mediation only in a very limited sense. Consequently, it is necessary to amend this Act to make provision for real, comprehensive and accessible mediation services for the public in all family law disputes. This amendment could best be achieved by regulating existing private and community mediation services and integrating them into the formal legal process. / LL. D. (Private Law) / Private Law

Recent legislation passed by the South African Parliament has sharpened attention on the importance of mediation in the process of divorce. Without the understanding and cooperation of the legal profession, and of attorneys in particular, there appears to be small chance that this will be adequately recognised and brought to fruition. The research reported in this dissertation reflects the results of an investigation of Cape Town attorneys working in the field of divorce. Their attitudes to and knowledge of the concept of divorce mediation are reported, and the prospects of collaboration between a social work agency and the legal profession in divorce mediation have been analysed. It is clear that some collaboration is achievable between the social work and legal professions in this area. A methodology has been developed and validated that is generally applicable, and which could also be used for investigation of other professional groups. / Social Work / M.A. (Social Work)

Concept of arbitration has been prevalent, historically, in the Middle East since the early days of Islam. The arbitral process has been problematic in the UAE however, it has not been until recently that the UAE has recognized the importance of arbitration as a powerful dispute resolution alternative and revised its legislation to accommodate the proceedings of domestic and international arbitration. In the past, foreign investors have been reluctant to select the UAE seat for their arbitration proceedings. There has been a perception that, as a general rule, the practice of international commercial arbitration in the Middle East is still in its infancy. The UAE is now demonstrating to the international community that it has the necessary infrastructure and laws in place to successfully count itself as one of the key arbitration players, alongside London, Paris and Hong Kong. This has been the result of the UAE updating their laws, reforming dispute resolution practice and procedures and through the establishment of key regional arbitration centres. The UAE's accession to the New York Convention was also seen as a significant step in demonstrating the UAE's commitment to foreign investors and the international community. Under Federal Decree No. 43 of 2006, the UAE managed to accede to the New York Convention. The UAE's accession is considered as a mile stone towards provision for a more straightforward arbitral process and enforcement of foreign arbitral awards in other Convention states. As a recent development, the UAE has evidenced the joint venture between the Dubai International Financial Centre ('the DIFC') and the London Court of International Arbitration ('the LCIA'), in February 2009, to create the DIFC-LCIA Arbitration Centre ('the DIFC~LCIA'). The DIFC-LCIA operates alongside the longer-established Dubai International Arbitration Centre ('the DlAC'). Both offer their own procedural rules and regulations for the amicable settlement of disputes through arbitration. The Courts role is vital in an arbitral proceeding in any jurisdiction. Although arbitration is believed as a court-free, independent forum for dispute resolution; the court plays fundamental role to ensure that the arbitral proceeding is taking place in a moderate and independent decorum. The UAE Court's role towards the International commercial arbitration has been very problematic and the courts historically used to intervene in the arbitral proceeding over tiny issues. The new UAE arbitration laws has changed the situation and curtailed the courts powers to interfere the arbitral proceeding. At present, the arbitration in the UAE is more independent and straightforward. The proposed UAE arbitration law has much more similarities with the Model Law UNCITRAL and meets the International standards. A lot of work still has to be done in order to make the arbitration more independent, straightforward and friendly in the UAB. The Court's role is vital and is required to be more supportive then it is at present in the arbitral process.

Estimates suggest that 6% of adults aged 65 years and older reported binge drinking in the past month and 2.2% reported heavy drinking. This dissertation investigates the associations between stress, coping, and alcohol consumption specifically in older adults. The literature on the direct relationship between stress and drinking in older adults has yielded inconsistent results (i.e., some produced positive associations, others yielded negative or nonsignificant relations). Previous findings for the relationship between various types of coping and drinking in older adults have yielded more consistent results, with avoidant coping, alcohol outcome expectancy, and/or drinking to cope generally contributing to alcohol use either independently or in combination. The strengths and limitations of currently used alcohol screening instruments with older adults (e.g., Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test-Geriatric Version, CAGE Questionnaire, and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) are also reviewed. Based on the literature, it was hypothesized that (a) lowering the definition of binge drinking to make it more age-sensitive to older adults would identify more individuals drinking at at-risk levels, (b) perceived stress, coping, and alcohol consumption would correlate with each other, and (c) coping would mediate the association between perceived stress and alcohol consumption. The study's sample consisted of 60 independent-living older adults (65 years of age and older), most of whom were White, female, and well educated. The results of this study only partially supported the hypotheses. Specifically, there was no clinically meaningful difference when the definition of binge drinking was lowered to a more age-specific classification on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test - Consumption measure. Perceived stress and both task- and avoidant-focused coping were correlated, but perceived stress and alcohol consumption were not significantly correlated, nor were either task- or avoidant-focused coping and alcohol consumption correlated. Finally, neither task- nor avoidant-focused coping mediated the relationship between perceived stress and alcohol consumption. Limitations of the present study are discussed.

Background: Understanding complex psychological treatment mechanisms is important in order to refine and improve treatment. Mechanistic theories can be evaluated using mediation analysis methods. The Pacing, Graded Activity, and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy: A Randomised Evaluation (PACE) trial studied complex therapies for the treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome. The aim of the project was to study different mediation analysis methods using PACE trial data, and to make trial design recommendations based upon the findings. Methods: PACE trial data were described using summary statistics and correlation analyses. Mediation estimates were derived using: the product of coefficients approach, instrumental variable (IV) methods with randomisation by baseline variables interactions as IVs, and dual process longitudinal structural equation models (SEM). Monte Carlo simulation studies were done to further explore the behaviour of IV estimators and to examine aspects of the SEM. Results: Cognitive and behavioural measures were mediators of the cognitive behavioural and graded exercise therapies in PACE. Results were robust when accounting for correlated measurement error and different SEM structures. Randomisation by baseline IVs were weak, giving imprecise and sometimes extreme estimates, leaving their utility unclear. A flexible version of a latent change SEM with contemporaneous mediation effects and contemporaneous correlated measurement errors was the most appropriate longitudinal model. Conclusions: IV methods using interaction IVs are unlikely to be useful; designs with randomised IV might be more suitable. Longitudinal SEM for mediation in clinical trials seems a promising approach. Mediation estimates from SEM were generally robust when allowing for correlated measurement error and for different model classes. Mediation analysis in trials should be longitudinal and should consider the number and timing of measures at the design stage. Using appropriate methods for studying mediation in trials will help clarify treatment mechanisms of action and allow for their refinement, which would maximize the information gained from trials and benefit patients.