Doctoral Research Skill in Conciliation Research

Doctoral Research Skill in Conciliation Research (DRSCR2) 

A Professional Specialized Skill Training Program by Indian Arbitration Institution (IAI)

• Eligibility: Any Basic Qualification or any Formal Education

• Total Fees: Rs. 9,500/-
  (Everything Included from Admission, Course Fees and Delivery of Certificate, no additional Fees Apart from it)

• Mode: Online

• Study Material:  Will be provided through Learning Dashboard/Portal

• Learning Type: Self Paced

• Duration:  3 Months (Preferably, but can be completed anytime as soon as you give the Exam)

• Enrollment:  Any Time, there is no Fixed Enrolment Date or Day. A candidate can choose any time and the enrolment will be processed real time.

• Exam: One Online Exam, MCQ and Subjective Type Questions of 100 Marks. Passing Marks 40%. If unsuccessful, you can give additional two attempts.

• Procedure: Fill the Apply Now Form →  Pay the Requisite Amount of Fees by Clicking Pay Now Button → Then Click on Payment Confirmation button and fill the form with all the Details → Then login to the Dashboard.

Course Overview

The Doctoral Research Skill in Conciliation Research (DRSCR2), launched by the Indian Arbitration Institution (IAI), is an elite, research-intensive training program curated to prepare scholars, practitioners, and senior legal professionals for rigorous academic inquiry in conciliation, consensus-building, and settlement jurisprudence. While conciliation has historically been treated as an informal branch of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), contemporary legal regimes increasingly view statutory conciliation as a critical pillar of judicial decongestion and international dispute management. This paradigm shift requires sophisticated research capable of evaluating conciliation models through empirical, doctrinal, and comparative lenses.

The DRSCR2 program bridges high-level dispute settlement practice with the demanding standards of doctoral-level scholarship (Ph.D., S.J.D., and LL.D.). It equips candidates with the epistemological and methodological competence required to conduct original, publishable research. Candidates examine foundational theories of dispute settlement, institutional behavioral psychology, power dynamics in consensual dispute processing, and the statutory interfaces between domestic conciliation statutes—such as Part III of India's Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996—and cross-border instruments, including the UNCITRAL Conciliation Rules and the Singapore Convention on Mediation.

Beyond conceptual study, the curriculum focuses squarely on the execution of advanced research methodologies. Scholars receive systematic instruction on quantitative case-flow tracking, qualitative elite interviewing, comparative legal analysis, and empirical field studies. The course guides candidates through the end-to-end doctoral research workflow: formulating refined research questions, mapping extensive literature reviews, identifying research gaps, designing sound analytical frameworks, adhering to citation regimes (Bluebook, OSCOLA, APA), and avoiding methodological biases.

Specialized modules address frontier subjects such as algorithmic decision support in digital conciliation platforms, mandatory pre-litigation conciliation models in corporate disputes, and sociological dynamics across diverse disputant demographics. By combining doctrinal depth with rigorous research design, the Indian Arbitration Institution prepares scholars to draft defensible doctoral prospectuses, publish in leading peer-reviewed journals, and formulate policy reforms that shape the future of statutory conciliation and institutional settlement.

Course Structure and Modules

The tentative modules are as follows:

Module 1: Jurisprudential and Theoretical Foundations of Conciliation

• Philosophical and historical evolution of consensual dispute settlement versus adversarial adjudication.

• Theoretical frameworks of third-party intervention: Evaluative conciliation, interest-based bargaining, and restorative justice.

• Behavioral economics, game theory, cognitive heuristics, and risk assessment in settlement negotiation.

• The constitutional and statutory status of consensual dispute resolution in modern legal systems.

Module 2: Domestic and Comparative Statutory Conciliation Frameworks

• Comprehensive analysis of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 (Part III) and judicial interpretations.

• Comparative statutory analysis: Conciliation frameworks across Common Law, Civil Law, and mixed systems.

• Institutional conciliation rules versus ad-hoc proceedings: procedural neutrality, party autonomy, and confidentiality.

• The legal force and execution of Conciliated Settlement Agreements (CSAs) under Section 74 of the Act.

Module 3: Transnational Conciliation, International Trade, and Enforcement Regimes

• The UNCITRAL Conciliation and Mediation Rules: historical trajectory and modern harmonization.

• The United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation (Singapore Convention).

• Enforceability of cross-border conciliated settlements: grounds for refusal, public policy exceptions, and judicial oversight.

• Conciliation mechanisms in international commercial contracts, bilateral investment treaties, and state-investor disputes.

Module 4: Doctrinal and Comparative Legal Research Methodologies

• Formulating central research questions, hypotheses, and theoretical frameworks in dispute settlement.

• Doctrinal analysis: statutory construction, case law synthesis, and tracking judicial shifts.

• Comparative legal methodology: functional, contextual, and institutional comparative approaches.

• Identifying research gaps and structuring comprehensive literature review matrices.

Module 5: Socio-Legal, Qualitative, and Quantitative Empirical Research in Conciliation

• Qualitative research designs: semi-structured elite interviews with conciliators, judges, and disputants.

• Quantitative data collection: sampling court-annexed records, settlement ratios, and duration metrics.

• Mixed-methods research architectures: integrating doctrinal analysis with field data.

• Research ethics: managing confidentiality, participant consent, and data protection in legal field studies.

Module 6: Specialized Practice Arenas and Empirical Inquiries

• Commercial, banking, and insolvency conciliation: financial workouts and creditor-debtor settlements.

• Employment, industrial relations, and collective bargaining disputes: procedural and institutional models.

• Public infrastructure, environmental conflicts, and multi-party community conciliation.

• Matrimonial, family, and inheritance disputes: safeguarding vulnerable parties and mitigating structural power imbalances.

Module 7: Technological Advancements, Online Dispute Resolution (ODR), and AI in Conciliation

• Digital conciliation systems: asynchronous caucusing, automated case intake, and digital record-keeping.

• Artificial Intelligence, Natural Language Processing, and predictive analytics in proposing settlement terms.

• Empirical evaluation of ODR settlement velocity, user perception, and procedural fairness.

• Cybersecurity, evidentiary integrity, and algorithmic accountability in digital conciliation processes.

Module 8: Academic Writing, Thesis Formulation, and Policy Drafting

• Structuring doctoral dissertations, research prospectuses, and high-impact peer-reviewed journal papers.

• Advanced citation systems, reference management software (Zotero, Mendeley), and bibliometrics.

• Navigating peer-review cycles, journal submissions, and ethical considerations against research misconduct.

• Translating academic research into actionable policy briefs, legislative white papers, and institutional rulebooks.

Importance of Doing this Course

The Doctoral Research Skill in Conciliation Research (DRSCR2) fulfills an essential niche at the intersection of legal scholarship, judicial administration, and dispute resolution design.

First, global justice systems face systemic court backlogs, prompting legislatures to institutionalize and mandate pre-litigation conciliation. However, implementing effective institutional settlement systems requires sound, evidence-based research rather than subjective assumptions. The DRSCR2 program trains scholars to conduct rigorous empirical and doctrinal investigations that provide courts, corporate bodies, and ministries of justice with the empirical evidence needed to modernize dispute resolution structures.

Second, prospective and current doctoral scholars often encounter difficulties in developing a viable, methodologically defensible research proposal. By delivering training in literature synthesis, hypothesis testing, mixed-methods research designs, and citation standards, this course directly accelerates the path to Ph.D. admissions, proposal defense approvals, and funded academic fellowships.

Third, commercial enterprises, regulatory agencies, and institutional arbitration centers increasingly demand dispute system design consultants. Scholars trained under the DRSCR2 curriculum possess the analytical capability to audit existing organizational dispute mechanisms, identify structural friction, and engineer custom conciliation protocols that lower litigation overhead and preserve commercial partnerships.

Finally, certification from the Indian Arbitration Institution gives scholars documented, specialized credentials in conciliation research. This institutional recognition validates advanced research capabilities, distinguishes scholars in university tenure reviews, and opens opportunities to author policy reforms and draft institutional procedural rules.

Career Prospects

The advanced analytical methodologies cultivated in the Doctoral Research Skill in Conciliation Research program unlock elite roles across academic institutions, policy think-tanks, international dispute panels, and corporate offices:

• Doctoral Researcher and Academic Fellow: Secure competitive admission, research grants, and post-doctoral fellowships (Ph.D., S.J.D., LL.D.) at premier domestic and global universities.

• University Professor and Law Faculty: Teach specialized courses in Alternative Dispute Resolution, negotiation theory, and empirical legal research within leading law schools and university departments.

• Dispute System Design (DSD) Consultant: Advise multinational enterprises, financial institutions, and public sector undertakings on building internal pre-litigation conciliation protocols and workplace dispute systems.

• ADR Policy Researcher and Judicial Think-Tank Analyst: Lead policy initiatives for law commissions, judicial academies, and legislative research bureaus to draft reform bills, statutory guidelines, and institutional white papers.

• Institutional Conciliation Administrator: Direct research, panelist appointments, and procedural rule formulation for international arbitral institutions, commercial mediation centers, and industry dispute panels.

• ODR & Legal-Tech Research Director: Guide data analytics, user experience evaluation, and algorithmic fairness research for tech platforms delivering automated dispute settlement services.

Necessary Details

The Indian Arbitration Institution offers the DRSCR2 program through an accessible, flexible, and completely digital portal designed to accommodate working professionals, researchers, faculty members, and postgraduate students.

Eligibility Applicants must hold:

• Any Basic Qualification or Any Formal Education (diploma, undergraduate degree, or postgraduate degree in any academic discipline).

Prior qualifications in law or advanced statistics are not mandatory. The curriculum introduces foundational principles before advancing into complex methodologies, making it valuable for candidates across law, public policy, management, social work, human resources, and the social sciences.

Total Fees The all-inclusive program tuition is Rs. 9,500/-. This single fee covers every component of the program lifecycle: admission registration, complete digital library and dashboard access, course materials, examination assessment, and the physical printing and courier dispatch of the official hardcopy certificate. There are no supplementary fees, subscription renewals, or hidden charges.

Mode and Study Material The program is delivered entirely Online. Enrolled scholars receive access to the dedicated IAI Learning Dashboard/Portal. Comprehensive Study Material—including theoretical monographs, empirical research templates, comparative statutory compendiums, academic research guides, and sample doctoral proposals—is provided through the portal.

Learning Type and Duration The program operates on a Self-Paced model. While the recommended period of completion is 3 Months, candidates maintain complete control over their timeline. Scholars may progress through the material at their preferred pace and schedule the final examination whenever they feel prepared, allowing for accelerated completion.

Enrollment Enrollment remains open Any Time throughout the year. There are no fixed enrollment cycles, batch dates, or application cutoffs. Applications are verified and processed in real time, granting immediate access to learning materials upon payment confirmation.

Examination Structure The course concludes with One Online Exam carrying a total of 100 Marks:

• Structure: A balanced assessment containing Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) and Subjective/Analytical Research Questions.

• Passing Marks: 40%.

• Re-attempt Policy: Candidates who do not meet the passing grade on their first attempt may take up to two additional attempts at no additional cost.

Step-by-Step Procedure

1. Fill out and submit the official Apply Now Form on the IAI website.

2. Complete the course fee payment of Rs. 9,500/- by clicking the Pay Now button.

3. Click the Payment Confirmation button and submit the verification form with your payment reference details.

4. Log into the Learning Dashboard to begin the program modules.