Publication: Uses and Users of Justice in Africa : The Case of Ghana's Specialised Courts
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2010-07-01
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2012-03-19
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This research project involves the tracking of the progress of cases in Ghana's specialized courts. It seeks to provide data that are not usually available for a scientific assessment of the performance of the courts in Ghana. The project, therefore, captures information on the persons and institutions who use the courts in Ghana; what these claimants come to court for; the difficulties they encounter in the process; and the value added by recent court reforms in resolving these problems. Further analysis of this information is then used to make specific and targeted recommendations for improving overall adjudicatory effectiveness. The project is similar to other World Bank studies in many respects. It is premised on a general belief that, almost everywhere, courts struggle to deliver quick, effective, accessible, and efficient justice. The huge disconnect between intention and reality is due to a number of factors, namely, the cost of litigation-an issue which bears directly on access to justice; unprecedented delays in case processing; real and perceived corruption within the courts and increasing uncertainty associated with judges' rulings. Delays, generally defined as unreasonable time spent from case filing and processing to case disposition, stand out amongst the list of problems. There is, therefore, a recognized challenge that the judicial sector in Ghana is currently incapable of providing speedy justice, a critical ingredient for public and investor confidence in the justice system.
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“World Bank. 2010. Uses and Users of Justice in Africa : The Case of Ghana's Specialised Courts. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/2938 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
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