Law

When you think of “the rule of law,” you probably don’t picture musicians working with lawyers to ensure their intellectual property rights, or health workers in Cameroon tackling corruption in free clinics, or environmentalists in China working with victims of pollution to hold dirty industries accountable. 

We at the World Justice Project were saddened to learn of the passing of longstanding friend and Honorary Chair, John Edwin Mroz. Through his work as the founder of the EastWest Institute, he had an immense impact on reducing conflict and bringing people together to solve problems. Our condolences are with his family and colleagues in this difficult time, and we know that his valuable work will be continued by others.   

We are pleased to announce that WJP's World Justice Forum V will be held in London, 6-9 July 2015, in collaboration with King's College London. During the Forum, over 500 leaders from business, civil society, government, academia, the media, and more will gather to explore and share strategies for advancing the rule of law worldwide.

World Justice Challenge grantee Street Law Zambia (SLZ) updates us on a recent visit to Zambia, where they conducted teacher trainings and curriculum development. SLZ believes that education is the key to sustainable social change in Zambia. Their primary goal is to develop and dissimenate a curriculum built on relevant, interactive, law-related content.

Just over two weeks ago, Zimbabwe’s Prosecutor-General Johannes Tomana, a close ally of President Robert Mugabe, announced that the government intended to reopen its case against lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa, following her acquittal last November on charges that she had “obstructed justice.” This charge was the result of Mtetwa – a universally acclaimed human rights attorney and recipient of the

Engaging with rule of law issues invariably means grappling with big ideas from multiple perspectives. Because scholars from around the world approach rule of law from different vantage points and academic disciplines, rule of law scholarship lacks the opportunities for collaboration and dialogue seen in more traditionally unified fields.

This post originally appeared at the Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR) on 28 April 2014. 

The world is no stranger to images of private opulence paid for with public money. The sprawling private residences and lavish compounds of deposed national leaders have become a common sight, showing there’s no shortage of corrupt leaders using government money for personal benefit—and getting away with it. What we see in the media may be just the tip of the iceberg, however. New data suggests that consequence-free corruption is a widespread, corrosive force on governments around the globe.

This article first appeared on the World Economic Forum blog on 3 April 2014.  Most economies in Latin America struggle with recurring problems in their institutional frameworks. The repeated flooding of the Bogota River illustrates the cyclical and expanding nature of these weaknesses and their devastating socio-economic impact.

This post first appeared on the Council on Foreign Relation's Emerging Voices blog, featuring contributions from scholars and practitioners highlighting new research, thinking, and approaches to development challenges. The article was posted as part of an ongoing CFR Development Channel series on global justice and development.  

“The WJP Rule of Law Index is a key contribution to the knowledge trust within the rule of law and economic fields.” – Scott Fulton, Beveridge & Diamond, P.C., DC, Visiting Scholar, Environmental Law Institute, Adjunct Professor, George Washington University School of Law   On April 8th, the American Bar Association Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources World Justice Task Force (SEER) convened a multidisciplinary panel of experts to discuss the intersections of rule of law and sustainable development.

Congratulations to our 2014 World Justice Challenge grantees! The World Justice Project has awarded seed grants to 15 startup initiatives including projects focused on advancing labor rights for cotton pickers in Pakistan, promoting equal treatment for women soccer players in Brazil, developing an open-source, online civic participation platform, and more.

Since we released the WJP Rule of Law Index 2014 two weeks ago, on March 5th, our findings have been featured in over 20 languages—in more than 200 media outlets—worldwide. Following are a few notable mentions, but you can always check our media page for the most up-to-date information on where WJP is contributing to the rule of law conversation around the globe.