Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/114995 
Year of Publication: 
2014
Series/Report no.: 
Diskussionspapier No. 155
Publisher: 
Helmut-Schmidt-Universität - Universität der Bundeswehr Hamburg, Fächergruppe Volkswirtschaftslehre, Hamburg
Abstract: 
Because verdicts are typically the more costly resolution of legal disputes, most governments are interested in high settlement rates. In this paper, we use a unique dataset of 860 case records from a German trial court to explore which factors have a significant impact on the decision to settle in civil law litigation. We find that case-specific factors, procedural aspects and individual characteristics of the involved judge have a significant impact on settlement probability. Interestingly, we find supporting evidence for the hypothesis that the gender of the involved judge has an impact on settlement probabilities in certain subfields of law. Based on our empirical results, we derive some conclusions for legal policies that aim at increasing settlement rates.
Subjects: 
settlement rate
judge
mediation
bargaining
procedural rules
gender effects
JEL: 
K10
K41
C78
J16
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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