World Bank2012-08-132012-08-132000-03https://hdl.handle.net/10986/9846Law is society's institution which articulates rules to govern legal and non-legal institutions. Rules of legal institutions aim to protect the citizen against discretionary and arbitrary power, ensure equality with others and guarantee procedural fairness. Impartial administration of the law through independent accessible courts and a democratic process of law-making, defines and enforces the limits and powers of state institutions and sets out the scope of legitimate state intervention in the affairs of its citizens. To the extent that the rule of law accomplishes this, a neutral legal order exists, capable of supporting the competitive market economy in the following ways: a) ensuring predictability and security of property rights and transactions; b) limiting arbitrary and discretional rational power of the state and its agents; c) maintaining the independence of the judiciary and at the same time curtailing judicial activism; and d) limiting the retroactivity of rules of law. Because of the lack of a formalized private sector in Africa, in many countries the State plays a major role in economic activity; it may supercede or qualify the market. This makes it even more important that the law should emphasize fair and efficient administration.CC BY 3.0 IGOADVANCEMENT OF WOMENBANK LENDINGBANK POLICIESBEST PRACTICECHOICE OF LAWCIVIL LAWCIVIL SOCIETYCOLLATERALCOMPETITIVE MARKETCONSTITUTIONAL LAWCOURTSCUSTOMARY LAWCUSTOMARY LAWSECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTECONOMIC EMPOWERMENTECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT OF WOMENEMPOWERMENTENFORCEMENT PROCEDURESEQUALITYFAMILY RELATIONSGENDERGENDER AND LAWGENDER CONCERNSGENDER DIMENSIONGENDER IMPLICATIONSGENDER POLICYGENDER-RESPONSIVE LAWSGOVERNMENT BUDGETGOVERNMENT POLICYINHERITANCEINHERITANCE RIGHTSINSTITUTIONAL BARRIERINSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENTINSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORKINSTRUMENTJUDICIAL FRAMEWORKSJUDICIAL REFORMJUDICIAL REFORMSJUDICIAL SERVICESJUDICIARYLAWSLEADERSHIPLEGAL ISSUESLEGAL REFORMSLEGAL STATUSLEGAL STATUS OF WOMENLEGAL TRADITIONSLEGISLATIONLENDING INSTRUMENTSLINKAGE BETWEEN GENDERLOANMARKET ECONOMYOWNERSHIP OF LANDPOLICY FOR WOMENPROPERTY RIGHTSREGULATORY CONSTRAINTSREGULATORY FRAMEWORKSRULE OF LAWSTATUTORY LAWWOMEN IN DEVELOPMENTWorld Bank10.1596/9846