Title: Dispute resolution through knowledge and experience regarding village court among local people: learning from a rural area of Bangladesh

Authors: Md. Mahedi Al Masud; Sajib Chowdhury; Md. Karimul Islam; Md. Abdur Rahman

Addresses: Divisional Social Services Office, Department of Social Services under the Ministry of Social Welfare, Khulna-9100, Bangladesh ' Research Officer (Economics), Bangladesh Water Development Board, Dhaka, Bangladesh ' BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), Brac University, Dhaka, Bangladesh ' Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Abstract: The study highlights the area of knowledge about the village court and seeks to investigate how they rely on the village court for dispute resolution. We gathered data from 368 households in the southwestern villages of Bangladesh applying a systemic random sampling procedure. We employed negative binomial and zero-inflated Poisson regression to examine the relationship, supplementing our analysis with focus group discussions. Our findings indicate that nearly two-fifths of respondents experienced disputes, with almost half filing cases in the village court for resolution, while the rest chose not to resort to any legal action. Findings show that knowledge and awareness about the village court have a positive implication in dispute settlement. This implies that having proper knowledge about the process, benefits, and challenges of the village court facilitates dispute resolution, a finding further supported by qualitative insights. The study recommends that authorities establish robust and proactive mechanisms to ensure a level playing field for all disputants through the symmetric transfer of information about village courts.

Keywords: knowledge and perception; village court; dispute resolution; justice; Bangladesh.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPLAP.2026.155201

International Journal of Public Law and Policy, 2026 Vol.12 No.3, pp.283 - 297

Received: 29 Dec 2024
Accepted: 13 Feb 2025
Published online: 29 Jul 2026 *

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