International Law
New ‘Rule of Law Index’ Will Measure World Justice
Posted Jul 3, 2008, 09:56 am CST
By Martha Neil
A new Rule of Law Index unveiled today at the World Justice Forum in Vienna is still under construction.
But when the initial version is completed within another three years or so, it should help show how well 100 nations are doing at complying with fundamental requirements of their justice systems, the Associated Press reports.
The index "will not rank countries on a scale. Instead, it will offer comprehensive snapshots of how governments and court systems are performing in a number of key areas, based on numerous interviews with local experts and with 1,000 randomly selected citizens in any given nation," the news agency writes.
"Among the 13 key factors and 50 other variables used to measure a country's behavior are corruption, respect for property rights, government officials' accountability to the law, access to services and the existence—or not—of an impartial judiciary."
Additional coverage:
ABAJournal.com: "Leaders in Vienna Seek Consensus; Rate Country Effectiveness on Rule of Law"