Rule of Law and Human Rights

Research Area

Mar 23

What is causing the global rule of law recession underway and how can it be reversed? What do we know about how rule of law can be developed? How can societies maintain rule of law over time? What approaches to “people-centered justice” have worked best and why?

Rule of law is increasingly under strain around the world. Although there is widespread agreement on the importance of rule of law for economic and social development and prevention of conflict, there is less understanding of the process of legal and institutional change.

My work has sought to advance legal and institutional reform as part of broader processes of economic and social development. To support this work, I have sought to understand what research tells us about these change processes and gain a greater understanding.

Over time it has become clear that rule of law requires not only strong government institutions such as courts but also an approach to justice that addresses the legal needs of citizens. It’s an unfortunate fact that, in many countries, justice systems work for powerful interests—ensuring that the most vulnerable in society benefit from the law’s protection has been an ongoing interest.

Related Publications

Covid-19, State Eﬀectiveness, and Core Values of Political Morality
Law and Development Review, vol. 17, issue 2 (2024).

The Financing for Development Agenda
In eds. McInerney-Langford, S. and MacQuorquele, R., The Sustainable Development Goals and International Law (Oxford University Press, 2023).

Justice, Complexity, and Effective Governance in the Twenty-First Century
Problema: Anuario de Filosofia y Theoria del Derecho, Vol. 15 (2021).

Edited Volume: Legal Empowerment: Practitioner’s Perspectives
(IDLO, 2010).

Edited Volume: Searching for Success: Narrative Accounts of Legal Reform in Developing and Transition Countries
IDLO Cases and Studies on Development, Governance, and Rule of Law. Series No. 1 (2006).

Law and Development as Democratic Practice
37 Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law 935 (2005).