Constraints on Third Party Flexibility

Abstract

The article uses two very different examples of third party mediation to illustrate the argument that intermediary flexibility has two aspects: freedom from constraint and capacity to undertake an influential interventive role by carrying out a variety of important functions. It concludes that both aspects are important for the success of mediation initiatives—although each confers very different advantages on particular mediator types and circumstances—and that the constituencies of other types of mediators need to be delineated and analyzed before further general propositions can be advanced.