The rule of law and international development.
Abstract
The UK Department for International Development (DFID) is refining its approach to the rule of law. The current literature review seeks to strengthen the evidence base relating to the rule of law by providing a synthesis of the way in which the rule of law is likely to affect development.
The principal research question is as follows: \"Why, and to what extent, do different dimensions of the rule of law impact upon developmental processes?\"
The paper reviews the literature relating to the following dimensions of
the rule of law:
(a) The role of international frameworks in promoting human rights,
humanitarian, commercial and criminal law;
(b) The role of national frameworks in ensuring horizontal
accountability and establishing checks and balances on the arms of the
state;
(c) The rule of law and the way it affects state and society relations;
(d) The promotion of the rule of law through non-state security and justice mechanisms.
In addition, the review considers four outcomes of the above rule of law
dimensions:
(a) The rule of law as an intrinsic good (i.e. an end in itself rather
than simply a means to an end);
(b) The rule of law as an enabler for the respective developmental
processes of state-building and peace-building;
(c) The rule of law as an enabler of economic growth;
(d) The rule of law as an enabler of equitable service delivery.
Citation
Roseveare, C. The rule of law and international development. Department for International Development (DFID), London, UK (2013) 87 pp.
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