World Justice Project

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The World Justice Project
World Justice Project small logo - new.jpg
Organization
Mission To lead a global movement to strengthen the rule of law for the development of communities of opportunity and equity
Legal Status 501(c)(3) (Non-Profit)
Founded 2006
Offices Washington, D.C., and Seattle, WA, USA
Region Served Worldwide
Founder & CEO William H. Neukom
Executive Director Juan Carlos Botero
Website World Justice Project
Rule of Law Index
Director Alejandro Ponce
Website Rule of Law Index

The World Justice Project (WJP) is an independent, non-profit organization, that develops communities of opportunity and equity by advancing the rule of law worldwide.

The World Justice Project is one of the world’s foremost resources on the importance of the rule of law. The rule of law helps people and communities thrive. Effective rule of law helps reduce corruption, improve public health, enhance education, lift people from poverty and protect them from injustices and dangers large and small.

The World Justice Project engages leaders in countries across the globe and from all work disciplines to advance the rule of law. Its work spurs government reforms, it develops practical, on-the-ground programs that support the rule of law, and it increases understanding of how the rule of law is important to people and the communities where they live.

The World Justice Project has three mutually reinforcing programs: Research and Scholarship, the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index, and Mainstreaming practical, on-the-ground programs.

Founded by William H. Neukom in 2006 as a presidential initiative of the American Bar Association, and with the initial support of 21 other strategic partners, the World Justice Project transitioned into an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 2010. Its offices are located in Washington, D.C., and Seattle, WA, USA.[1]

Contents

WJP definition of rule of law [edit]

The World Justice Project's notion of the rule of law states that it is a system in which the following four universal principles are upheld:

  1. The government and its officials and agents are accountable under the law.
  2. The laws are clear, publicized, stable and fair, and protect fundamental rights, including the security of persons and property.
  3. The process by which the laws are enacted, administered, and enforced is accessible, efficient, and fair.
  4. Justice is delivered by competent, ethical, and independent representatives and neutrals who are of sufficient number, have adequate resources, and reflect the makeup of the communities they serve.[2]

Research and scholarship [edit]

The World Justice Project supports rigorous research that examines the contributions of the rule of law to various aspects of economic, political, and social development and sheds new light on how to strengthen the rule of law. The scholarship program is currently pursuing an ambitious research agenda studying the effectiveness of the rule of law in various domains of social life, the inter-dependencies among the institutional components of the rule of law, and the causal mechanisms by which the rule of law affects economic and political life.[3]

Publications [edit]

Edited Volumes:
Journal Articles:

WJP Rule of Law Index [edit]

The World Justice Project Rule of Law Index is an innovative, quantitative assessment tool designed to offer a detailed and comprehensive picture of the extent to which countries adhere to the rule of law in practice. The Index provides new data on eight dimensions of the rule of law: limited government powers; absence of corruption; order and security; fundamental rights; open government; regulatory enforcement; civil justice; and criminal justice. These factors are further disaggregated into 52 sub-factors. Together, they provide a comprehensive picture of rule of law compliance.[4]

The Index rankings and scores are built from over 400 variables drawn from two new data sources: (i) a general population poll (GPP), designed by the WJP and conducted by leading local polling companies using a probability sample of 1,000 respondents in the three largest cities of each country; and (ii) a qualified respondents’ questionnaire (QRQ) completed by in-country experts in civil and commercial law, criminal law, labor law, and public health. To date, over 97,000 people and 2,500 experts have been interviewed in 97 countries and jurisdictions.[5]

The WJP Rule of Law Index is the most comprehensive index of its kind, and it reflects the actual conditions experienced by the population. The Index has stimulated discussion and actions on the rule of law around the world. Its findings have been cited by heads of state, chief justices, legal experts, business leaders, government officials, and citizens from around the world as supporting evidence of the need to advance rule of law reforms. Leading newspapers in over 70 countries have reported on or referenced the Index, resulting in over 1,000 media mentions, including The Economist, The New York Times, and El País, among others.[6]

Rule of Law Index 2012-2013 Report [edit]

The World Justice Project's most recent report offers a detailed and comprehensive picture of the extent to which 97 countries and one jurisdiction around the world adhere to the rule of law. The WJP Rule of Law Index 2012-2013 report is available for download on the WJP website.

Previous Rule of Law Index Reports [edit]

Data [edit]

The WJP has made its most recent scores and rankings for each indexed country available in a data table and a data map on its website, along with the methodology used for the Rule of Law Index.[7]

Mainstreaming [edit]

The World Justice Project’s Mainstreaming initiatives strive to make rule of law advancement as fundamental to the thinking and work of other professionals as it is to lawyers and judges. Since its founding in 2006, the WJP has helped give people in countries across the world greater understanding of the rule of law and with it, greater opportunities in nearly every part of their lives – from education, to health care, to property rights to fair and peaceful resolution of disputes.[8]

Programs [edit]

One of the ways the WJP achieves reforms in rule of law is through on-the-ground programs conducted with leaders of government, businesses, civil society and individuals across work disciplines in countries throughout the world. Its programs have helped give people greater understanding of the rule of law and with it, greater opportunities in nearly every part of their lives – from education, to health care, to property rights to fair and peaceful resolution of disputes.[8]

Roderick B. Mathews Opportunity Fund [edit]

The Roderick B. Mathews Opportunity Fund is the World Justice Project's seed-grant program. It is the WJP’s mechanism to provide direct funding and support to projects that strengthen the rule of law across the world. This online competition encourages innovations and engagement across a broad spectrum of stakeholders to advance the rule of law.

Since its launch in 2008, the Opportunity Fund has provided financial, research, and networking support to more than 50 projects operating on five continents. These projects show how the rule of law can address some of the world’s most challenging issues.[9]

Events [edit]

The WJP convenes leaders of civil society, government, and business to find common ground, to examine how the fundamental importance of the rule of law matters in the everyday lives of people in their own communities, and to incubate rule of law reforms. At Mainstreaming events, the WJP assembles these change agents and innovators at global and regional meetings to inspire government reforms – whether directly or indirectly – and develop programs at the grassroots level. The WJP's Mainstreaming events have leveraged the commitment and expertise of leaders from all sectors, generating dozens of programs and building global, multidisciplinary rule of law networks.[10]

World Justice Forum [edit]

The World Justice Forum is the world’s largest global multidisciplinary platform dedicated to advancing the rule of law. It is a global gathering at which prominent leaders from all parts of the world and a variety of disciplines come together to articulate how the rule of law affects their disciplines and regions and to develop collaborative actions to strengthen the rule of law.[10]

Since 2007, the WJP has held three World Justice Forums. The inaugural World Justice Forum was held in Vienna, Austria, on July 2-5, 2008. The second World Justice Forum took place on November 11-14, 2009, also in Vienna, Austria. The World Justice Forum III was held on June 20-23, 2011, in Barcelona, Spain.

The World Justice Forum IV will take place on July 8-11, 2013, in The Hague, Netherlands.[10]

Regional meetings [edit]

The World Justice Project convenes regional, action-oriented, multidisciplinary meetings to strengthen the rule of law. These meetings include plenary discussions on key topical issues of current importance, and small group working sessions in which participants identify crucial areas where collaborative, cross-disciplinary efforts will advance the rule of law. The WJP held multidisciplinary outreach meetings on five continents with participants from 71 countries prior to the 2008 World Justice Forum, and held an additional outreach meeting in 2009 in Cape Town, South Africa. More recently, the WJP convened outreach meetings for the Middle East and North Africa region in Ifrane, Morocco, for Latin America and the Caribbean in Lima, Peru, and for the Asia Pacific in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[10]

Country-level workshops [edit]

The World Justice Project convened a small taskforce of Tunisian leaders from business, government and civil society in Tunis, Tunisia, on May 28, 2012, to assess rule of law opportunities and challenges facing Tunisia during the ongoing reform process. The WJP worked closely with the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO), the Arab Center for the Rule of Law and Integrity (ACRLI), and the Hague Institute for the Internationalisation of Law (HiiL) in the planning and execution of the Tunisia workshop. It produced a detailed report on the rule of law situation in Tunisia based on data from its Rule of Law Index.[11] The WJP is also considering organizing additional workshops in the future for countries undergoing transition.[10]

Roundtable discussion series [edit]

In 2012, the World Justice Project launched a new series of small, targeted workshops on topics that are related to the rule of law. These roundtable discussions feature experts on a diverse array of rule of law topics. The inaugural discussion featured Tim Hanstad, Executive Director of WJP co-sponsoring organization Landesa, to talk about land rights and the rule of law.[10]

U.S. multidisciplinary workshops [edit]

The WJP supports multidisciplinary workshops aimed at strengthening the rule of law in the United States. In individual states across the nation, state and local bar associations, law schools and other local leaders are sponsoring state-level multidisciplinary outreach meetings to form multidisciplinary partnerships to strengthen the rule of law at the state and community levels. Participants at these meetings have included business and community leaders, educators, health care professionals, judges, lawyers, government officials, and religious leaders.[10]

Leadership [edit]

Honorary Chairs [edit]

The World Justice Project has the support of outstanding leaders representing a range of disciplines around the world. The Honorary Chairs of the World Justice Project are:

Board of Directors [edit]

The World Justice Project's Board of Directors includes:

The World Justice Project has the following Board Officers:

  • William C. Hubbard, Chairman of the Board
  • William H. Neukom, President and Chief Executive Officer
  • Deborah Enix-Ross, Vice President
  • Suzanne E. Gilbert, Vice President
  • James R. Silkenat, Director and Vice President
  • Lawrence B. Bailey, Secretary and Treasurer
  • Gerold W. Libby, General Counsel

References [edit]

  1. ^ http://worldjusticeproject.org/who-we-are-0
  2. ^ http://worldjusticeproject.org/what-rule-law
  3. ^ http://worldjusticeproject.org/publications
  4. ^ http://worldjusticeproject.org/methodology
  5. ^ http://worldjusticeproject.org/contributing-experts
  6. ^ http://worldjusticeproject.org/press
  7. ^ http://worldjusticeproject.org/rule-of-law-index
  8. ^ a b http://worldjusticeproject.org/programs-events
  9. ^ http://worldjusticeproject.org/about
  10. ^ a b c d e f g http://worldjusticeproject.org/events
  11. ^ http://worldjusticeproject.org/blog/wjp-tunisia-workshop

External links [edit]

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