I'd never heard of this group before today, but it does appear to be a pretty serious group with more than good intentions. It has diverse boards, both honorary and working and a single goal: to strengthen the rule of law. It also looks like it has the money to get the job done. It has just issued a report evaluating the quality of the rule of law in 66 nations. Their conclusions are based on both a survey of the population and input from presumed experts on the quality of law in each country.
They evaluate a nation on the following factors, which are then divided into further measures of the rule of law:
- Limited government powers
- Absence of corruption
- Order and security
- Fundamental rights
- Open government
- Regulatory enforcement
- Access to civil justice
- Effective criminal justice
- Informal justice
The United States obtains high marks in most dimensions of the rule of law. The country stands out for its well-functioning system of checks and balances and for its good results in guaranteeing civil liberties among its people, including the rights of association, opinion and expression, religion, and petition. The civil justice system is independent and free of undue influence, but it remains inaccessible to disadvantaged groups (ranking 21st). Legal
assistance is expensive or unavailable (ranking 52nd), and the gap between rich and poor individuals in terms of both actual use of and satisfaction with the civil courts system remains significant (see box 4). In addition, there is a general perception that ethnic minorities and foreigners receive unequal treatment from the police and the courts.
- Limited government powers - 15
- Absence of corruption - 17
- Order and security - 13
- Fundamental rights - 19
- Open government - 13
- Regulatory enforcement - 15
- Access to civil justice - 21
- Effective criminal justice - 20
Not exactly something to brag about.
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