Law, Justice, and Development

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The Law, Justice, and Development series is offered by the Legal Vice Presidency of the World Bank to provide insights into aspects of law and justice that are relevant to the development process. Works in the series present new legal and judicial reform activities related to the World Bank’s work, as well as analyses of domestic and international law. The series is intended to be accessible to a broad audience as well as to legal practitioners.

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Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
  • Publication
    The World Bank Legal Review : Law, Equity, and Development, Volume 2
    (Washington, DC: World Bank and Martinus Nijhoff, 2006) World Bank
    The World Bank legal review: law, equity, and development, volume two, is a publication for policy makers and their advisers, attorneys, and other professionals engaged in the field of international development. It offers a combination of legal scholarship, lessons from experience, legal developments, and recent research on the many ways in which the application of law and the improvement of justice systems promote poverty reduction, economic development, and the rule of law. In keeping with the theme of the World Development Report 2006: equity and development, and following the success of the World Bank Group's legal forum on 'law, equity, and development' in December 2005, volume two of the World Bank legal review focuses on issues of equity and development. The volume draws together some of the key ideas of the Legal Forum, including articles by many of its distinguished participants, and explores the role of equity in the development process, highlighting how legal and regulatory frameworks and equitable justice systems can do much to level the playing field in the political, economic, and socio-cultural domains, as well as how they can reinforce existing inequalities.
  • Publication
    Land Law Reform : Achieving Development Policy Objectives
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2006) Bruce, John W.; Giovarelli, Renée; Rolfes, Jr., Leonard; Bledsoe, David; Mitchell, Robert
    This book examines issues at the forefront of the debate on land law reform, pays particular attention to how reform options affect the poor and disadvantaged, and recommends strategies for alleviating poverty more effectively through land law reform. It reviews the role of the World Bank in land law reform, examining issues of process as well as substance. It also identifies key challenges and directions, and stresses the need to design law reforms in ways that suit diverse economic, legal, and institutional environments. This book is a contribution to comparative thinking on reform of the law relating to land. It examines the implications for land law reform in the broadening of development goals beyond growth to include environmental protection, poverty eradication, and achievement of gender equity, and it reviews a broad range of experience in land law reform. After the introductory chapter, chapter 2 examines how land law reform is achieved through World Bank initiatives. It reviews steps the Bank has taken to achieve comprehensive reforms of land law in the context of natural resource management and land reform programs and land administration projects. It also analyzes lessons learned from various land law reform processes. Chapter 3 addresses reform of rules affecting women's access to and rights in land. The topic is one in which broad recommendations are not necessarily easy due to cultural and other norms governing women's rights and freedoms regarding land. Chapter 4 examines how to develop land markets while minimizing adverse effects and enhancing positive impacts on the poor. Chapter 5 discusses the importance of titling and registration of land rights, reviews concepts that are supported by the Bank in many of its land projects, and describes how titling and registration can affect economic growth and the alleviation of poverty. Chapter 7 deals with issues of equity and poverty in the context of conservation and environmental protection of farms and forests. It examines the role of individual property rights, as well as the legal tools that can be used to encourage conservation. The conclusion draws together significant aspects from all the chapters that are needed for effective land law reform.
  • Publication
    Legal Aspects of Financial Services Regulation and the Concept of a Unified Regulator
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2006-01-01) Mwenda, Kenneth Kaoma
    This study addresses the legal and policy issues underpinning the development of, and the strengthening of the regulatory and institutional framework for unified financial services supervision. The study discusses developments in a number of jurisdictions, among them Australia, Canada, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Malta, the Scandinavian countries, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Chapter 1 examines conceptual issues to be taken into account in designing a sound regulatory and institutional framework for financial services supervision. The chapter also provides a working definition of "regulation" and delves into the intricacies of designing the appropriate regulatory framework. Chapter 2 analyzes the concept of an independent financial services regulator, arguing that a unified regulator that is both independent and accountable would help promote the development of a sound financial sector. Chapter 3 discusses the concept of a unified regulator, examining the question of whether every country should adopt a model of unified financial services supervision. Chapter 4 provides country studies, addressing the efficacy of the framework for unified financial services supervision in Latvia, the United Kingdom, and the Scandinavian countries. Finally, Chapter 5 defines policy recommendations and possible constitutional, and legal challenges that might be encountered when a country is considering unifying its regulation of financial services.
  • Publication
    The World Bank Legal Review : Law and Justice for Development, Volume 1
    (Washington, DC: World Bank and Kluwer Law International, 2003) World Bank
    Legal and regulatory aspects of E-Commerece and the Internet, by Hank Intven, Rdichard Pfohl, Cheryl Slusarchuk, and Barry Sookman. Intellectual property rights and the protection of public health in developing countries, by Carlos M. Correa. Assessing a bill in terms of the public interest : the legislator's role in the law-making process, by Ann Seidman and Robert Seidman. Property rights issues in common property regimes for forestry, by John Bruce. The quality of Judges, by Hon. Sandra E. Oxner. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the World Bank, by Ko-Yung Tung. Islamic law on interest : the 1999 Pakistan Supreme Court decision on Riba, by Akhtar Hamid. The instrument establishing the World Bank prototype carbon fund (PCF) and the first PCF emission reduction purchase agreement. Ethical norms for the judicial branch of the Republic of Guatemala. The right to housing : Government of the Republic of South Africa, and others v. Grootboom and others. Agreement establishing the African trade insurance agency. China and the knowledge economy : seizing the 21st century . Principles and guidelines for effective insolvency and creditor rights systems.