Microjustice Facilitators

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This page gives an idea of the role, business model, and personal qualifications of Microjustice Facilitators. The present information is a summary of what is contained in the strategic plan of Augus 2007. Presently, Microjusticia Bolivia is experimenting with the facilitators program and a project is formed that defines the work to be done on the Business Case for Microjustice Facilitators.

Contents

[edit] Role?

[edit] Clients

Their target audience is clients who are not able to solve their issues themselves; also not with the help of the information about norms and processes that will become available at the MicrojusticeNormsandProcesses.com websites. They can also offer help clients who could help themselves, but want to outsource certain tasks.

[edit] Service model

The following elements of the service model are probably important for Microjustice Facilitators.

  • Client oriented.
  • Oriented towards problem-solving.
  • Low cost and good quality, because MicrojusticeNormsandProcesses.com websites supports them and clients with essential information, with well defined Microjustice Products.
  • Low cost and good quality, because they help to address standard legal problems and not every problem a client may have.
  • Low cost and good quality, because they have a back up from a central country organization.
  • Oriented towards helping the broader system work. Giving feed-back about norms and processes in particular.
  • Neutral? In particular in dispute resolution the neutral position is an important issue.

[edit] Business model?

Here are some initial thoughts on this. A project is formed that defines the work to be done on the Business Case for Microjustice Facilitators.

[edit] The facilitors perspective

For developing the business model, it is probably best to start looking at it from the facilitators perspective (their incentives). *Why would they deliver MJ services as a facilitator?

[edit] Quality and Support

[edit] Thought-experiment: no supervision or support

An interesting starting point is to begin with is what Facilitators will do if there is no additional help for them or control/supervision for them. Many distribution relationships develop because independent resellers just start buying products or using services, without any ties to the principal.

  • Would the facilitators be able to help clients, based on the information on the website?
  • How would they charge them?
  • Serve them or cheat them?
  • What would their business model then be?

[edit] Facilitators needs

The next step would be to look at what they need from Microjustice Programs and MicrojusticeNormsandProcesses.com. Working under the Microjustice flag probably:

  • Brings them a reputation
  • Some extra information about how to deliver services
  • Back up in difficult cases

Does this gives them a comparative advantage over current service providers? Can they charge higher prices? Work with lower costs?

[edit] Program needs

What does the Microjustice Programs want in return? Do they want facilitators to deliver the services in a certain way? There will be quality requirements, or other wishes about how they behave:

  • Their way of price-setting
  • Delivery
  • Treating clients well
  • Opening hours etc.

[edit] Compliance

Will facilitators have reasons of their own to comply with this? Because they feel this is right or it is advantageous to do so for them? The first assumption may have to be that they will not live up to any of the rules of the game, unless it is in their own best interest as well.

Are there other ways to make them comply? The second assumption may be that contracts and rules of the game will only work when they are what economists call 'self-enforcing' (we assume a place where we cannot take our facilitators to court, don't we?). If they stop living up to essential rules of the game, can Microjustice Programs withhold something from them? It will be difficult to stop them from using the Microjustice name, for instance. And the information from MicrojusticeNormsandProcesses.com website is difficult to withhold as well.

Can their behavior be monitored? Clients can do this, maybe. Probably Microjustice Programs being open to complaints from clients is the best incentive there is. Publishing complaintson the website, so that the clients can see what reputation the facilitators have, may be a way to influence their behavior. Or probably even better the positive feed-back from clients.

More generally, it may very well be that the clients are in a better position to discipline the facilitators then Microjustice Programs as a central organization. How can the clients be empowered in their relationship to the facilitators?

[edit] Competition between facilitators

One way to 'discipline' facilitators may be good old competition. If facilitators have an exclusive territory, or group of clients, they may charge high prices and may have less incentives to serve their clients. So non-exclusive relationships may work better.

However, the Microjustice Programs also needs the facilitators. They may press for exclusivity, as a way to get paid for their efforts. What is the best approach here? Are there other incentives than exclusivity to start a facilitators business? What is their initial investment likely to be?

[edit] Who are they?

[edit] Skills needed

What is apparent from the discussions about legal aid world wide is that people basically need help with solving problems in their life. So counselling skills and negotiation and problem solving skills are needed besides basis knowledge about the ways legal problems can be solved (norms and procedures).

Besides, having people from different backgrounds and with different skills is essential for creativity etc (interdisciplinary teams/competition). We probably should start with determining which skills are needed, and then look for the right type of people, and especially the right mix of people.

[edit] Link to existing professions?

There are several options here:

  • Law students. The problem may be that there will be little sustainability (because they do it for a few month experience). Their inclination may be to do traditional, individualized legal advice in general and no microjustice. This resembles the law clinics all over the world where law students help poor people. The challenge is to move beyond this.
  • Social workers.
  • Ppeople with an internet cafe.
  • Or just the type of problem 'fixers' that every community has? Women running a shop? Pastors? Tramitadores?
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