What is "dispute resolution organization"

n. A business or group that provides alternative dispute resolution services such as conciliation, mediation, arbitration, or negotiation, sometimes as a private alternative to public judicial courts and litigation.

The phrase "dispute resolution organization" was coined by right-libertarian Stefan Molyneux in his self-published white paper, "The Stateless Society: An Examination of Alternatives."

Molyneux posits that within the theoretical stateless society, a dispute resolution organization (DRO) would be a private firm that would enforce contracts and resolve disputes on behalf of their clients, replacing services previously handled by governments. The firms would be voluntarily contracted to provide, or coordinate with other firms to provide, services such as mediation, reimbursement for damages, personal protection, and credit reporting. In essence, they combine qualities borrowed from modern private defense/police, insurance companies, credit ratings, and alternative dispute resolution.

Hypothetically, DRO's would operate under a system of anarcho-capitalism. It has been suggested that such firms would compete within a free market, with their reliability and quality of their service monitored by independent ratings agencies. Customers also would have their reputations reported to ratings agencies by the DROs.