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Truth and consequences in rule of law: Inferences, attribution and evaluation

Cohen, Elin, Fandl, Kevin J, Perry-Kessaris, Amanda, Taylor, Veronica T (2011) Truth and consequences in rule of law: Inferences, attribution and evaluation. Hague Journal on the Rule of Law, 3 (1). pp. 102-129. ISSN 1876-4045. (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:34324)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided.
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Abstract

Billions of dollars is spent on legal development every year, but its effectiveness continues to be questioned. Many donors have responded to this internal and external critique by developing monitoring and evaluating systems. This article problematizes the tendency of conventional modes of evaluation to assume a link between the outcomes of individual projects (the ‘truth’ of rule of law) and the fulfillment of overarching program goals (the ‘consequences’). We argue that examining this assumed link is of particular importance as rule of law projects take place within a host of simultaneous political and social changes; are time consuming and unpredictable and have multiple and sometimes conflicting objectives. Our analysis of four recent rule of law projects from Asia, Africa and Latin America exposes the inability of conventional evaluations to accommodate such complexities. We demonstrate how, by contrast, robust empirical research reveals important truths about the disparity between the actual, intended and unintended consequences of legal development projects.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled keywords: rule of law, project evaluation, economic development, investment climate, access to justice, informal economy, India, China, Kenya, Colombia
Subjects: K Law
Divisions: Divisions > Division for the Study of Law, Society and Social Justice > Kent Law School
Depositing User: Sarah Slowe
Date Deposited: 19 Jun 2013 08:50 UTC
Last Modified: 16 Nov 2021 10:11 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/34324 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

Perry-Kessaris, Amanda.

Creator's ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1341-2392
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