Bill Nuekom at the 2016 RLRCOn May 6-7, 2016, a distinguished group of leading academics and experts joined the World Justice Project for a two-day conference at Stanford Law School. The themes of the conference were organized around four components: an examination of the origins of the rule of law; a look at the “rule of non-law” for development and security in poor countries today; a discussion of the issues of non-state armed actors, vigilantism, and violence; and finally, a discussion of the empirical of measuring and analyzing the rule of law.

In addition to the presentation and discussion of research papers, the general counsel of Facebook, Google, Apple, and Nike joined WJP founder Bill Neukom for a frank discussion of the challenges of operating multi-national corporations across vastly different rule of law landscapes.

Sessions from the conference are now available on World Justice Project's YouTube channel:

Visit our conference page for additional information and conference materials.

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Rebuilding Trust: Strengthening Rule of Law in the United States

Confidence in accountability for U.S. public officials plummeted from 2016 to 2021, according to World Justice Project (WJP) surveys.  Would a high-level official pay a price for pocketing public money? Would a politically connected person be held responsible for a non-violent crime?  The answers increasingly became no among the general public and legal experts.  This year, the United States finally turned a corner on its overall WJP Rule of Law Index score after sharp declines in the preceding five years, but it still has much lost ground to regain.    In recognition of this challenge, the WJP is embarking on a new U.S. campaign to strengthen rule of law and “rebuild trust.” Co-founder and Board Chair William Hubbard announced the effort at a recent rule of law briefing cosponsored by the American Bar Association Cornerstones of Democracy Commission. 

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Strengthening Equal Rights and Non-Discrimination at the World Justice Forum 2022 and Beyond

In recent years equal rights and non-discrimination protections have weakened, putting at-risk groups in danger of further erasure and marginalization. The 2022 WJP Rule of Law Index points to a rise in discrimination during the pandemic, with 70% of countries and jurisdictions having declined in equal treatment and absence of discrimination. Vulnerable groups already exposed to systemic inequality—such as the LGBTQI+ community, children with disabilities, women, and ethnic and racial minorities—were further marginalized during the crisis, and continue to be left out of solutions to “build back better.” At the World Justice Forum 2022, equal rights leaders, activists, and academics came together to discuss the increasing challenges these groups face, as well as promising solutions to address them.

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How Data Drives Justice Around the World: Hear from Leaders Who Use the WJP Rule of Law Index

Every year, the WJP Rule of Law Index takes a detailed look at adherence to rule of law principles around the world. This year’s Index covers 140 countries and jurisdictions and contains data on eight factors that make up the rule of law, including fundamental rights, absence of corruption, and criminal justice.   Insights from the 2022 WJP Rule of Law Index show that adherence to rule of law fell in 61% of countries this year. Globally, this means that 4.4 billion people live in countries where rule of law has declined over the past year.   Rule of law impacts our rights, our safety, our well-being, and our access to justice. The WJP Rule of Law Index provides original data annually on people’s experiences with and perceptions of rule of law in 140 countries and jurisdictions around the world, making the Index a valuable resource for policymakers, business leaders, and advocates. 

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