Envisioning Reform: Conceptual and Practical Obstacles to Improving Judicial Performance in Latin AmericaJudicial reform became an important part of the agenda for development in Latin America early in the 1980s, when countries in the region started the process of democratization. Connections began to be made between judicial performance and market-based growth, and development specialists turned their attention to “second generation” institutional reforms. Although considerable progress has been made already in strengthening the judiciary and its supporting infrastructure (police, prosecutors, public defense counsel, the private bar, law schools, and the like), much remains to be done. Linn Hammergren’s book aims to turn the spotlight on the problems in the movement toward judicial reform in Latin America over the past two decades and to suggest ways to keep the movement on track toward achieving its multiple, though often conflicting, goals. After Part I’s overview of the reform movement’s history since the 1980s, Part II examines five approaches that have been taken to judicial reform, tracing their intellectual origins, historical and strategic development, the roles of local and international participants, and their relative success in producing positive change. Part III builds on this evaluation of the five partial approaches by offering a synthetic critique aimed at showing how to turn approaches into strategies, how to ensure they are based on experiential knowledge, and how to unite separate lines of action. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 82
... usually taken to encompass those institutions most closely related to the courts—police, prosecution, public defense, and the private bar. How reformers define improvement, what means they use to achieve it, and how they measure success ...
... usually located outside the judiciary and intended to manage the selection and promotions of judges and sometimes court staff. The move was usually linked to the creation of permanent judicial careers, increases in salary levels and ...
... usually abysmal public image has not affected an escalating demand for court services, in the former Soviet region the problem has more often been convincing people to use the courts, which are still seen as instruments of state control ...
... usually easier to leave conventional wisdom unchallenged. The firemen's syndrome (“don't step on the hose”) is the safest course, allowing each faction to pursue its own projects, however much it may doubt the validity of those of its ...
... usually mixed—a group of citizens with one or more judges. Although the investigation lies largely with one individual, both the prosecutor, a member of the public ministry, and defense counsel have access to the findings and can make ...
Other editions - View all
Envisioning Reform: Improving Judicial Performance in Latin America Linn Hammergren Limited preview - 2010 |
Envisioning Reform: Improving Judicial Performance in Latin America Linn A. Hammergren No preview available - 2007 |