PrintRule of Law
part of the Centers of Innovation
Center Highlights
This report presents the research findings and analysis of ten months of field study as part of the United States Institute of Peace and George Washington University project titled "From Current Practices of Justice to Rule of Law: Policy Options for Liberia's First Post-Conflict Decade." The analysis we present, based on three types of research methods (focus groups, individual interviews with parties to specific disputes, and interviews with chiefs, zoes [traditional leaders], and other justice practitioners) employed primarily in three counties (Grand Gedeh, Lofa, Nimba, and less extensively in parts of Monrovia), is intended to provide the Liberian government and other stakeholders in the country with more robust evidence than has hitherto been available on how both formal and customary justice systems are perceived and utilized by Liberians. |
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Leadership
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Acting Director, Rule of Law Center of Innovation
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Center Specialists
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Senior Rule of Law Adviser, Rule of Law Center of Innovation
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Senior Rule of Law Adviser, Rule of Law Center of Innovation
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USIP's Rule of Law Center of Innovation conducts research, identifies best practices, and develops new tools for policymakers and practitioners working to promote the rule of law. It has played a significant role in shaping the field and in advancing the rule of law in fragile and post-conflict societies.
The program is based on the premise that adherence to the rule of law entails far more than the mechanical application of static legal technicalities; it requires an evolutionary search for those institutions and processes that will best bring about authentic stability through justice
Programs
Rule of Law is working with international partners to assess the ways in which customary systems may compliment and strengthen the state system in post-conflict settings. The program is hosting a Conference on Legal Pluralism in partnership with the World Bank Justice for the Poor Program and George Washington University this November, which will draw leading policy-makers, practitioners and academics from around the world.
The project on Constitution Making, Peacebuilding, and National Reconciliation provides guidance to policymakers, negotiators and practitioners involved in constitution-making processes
The Rule of Law Program provides guiding resources as countries deal with the legacies of past abuses, war crimes in efforts to rebuild and reconcile in the wake of violence.
- The “Truth Commission Digital Collection,” has catalogued the contexts, apparatuses and findings of Truth Commissions from around the world, in order to aid future generations as they craft policies and strategies to cope with the malingering ghosts of their nation’s past.
- Transitional Justice: How Emerging Democracies Reckon with Former Regimes, a three-volume collection edited by Neil J. Kritz, brings together the collective experience of numerous countries and cultures over the past 50 years.
INPROL is a web-based worldwide network of rule of law practitioners and experts created to support practitioners in the field. To find out more information about becoming part of INPROL, and to apply for membership, please click here.
In an effort to professionalize the rule of law field, the rule of law program has developed a series of training courses tailored to the needs of rule of law practitioners. The initiative is part of a broader training initiative at USIP under the auspices of the Academy for International Conflict Management and Peacebuilding. Upcoming courses will be held on April 19-23 2010 (course now full) and August 2-6 2010.
- Click here to learn more about the course
- Click here to sign up for the course