Rule of Law as a Framework within the ASEAN Community

Joel Ng Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Block S4, Level B4, Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798.
Corresponding Author: kj.joel.ng@gmail.com
ⓒ Copyright YIJUN Institute of International Law
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract
As the ASEAN moves towards its vision of a 'Community,' enforceability and consistency of legal standards, broadly the "rule of law," have drawn attention due to their impact on the predictability of social environments, with consequences for markets, people, and policy makers. This paper draws together recent findings and suggests ASEAN States have made significant progress but remain in a state of transition. These findings support Barry Weingast's prediction that developing countries are more likely to create consistent rules and move to "open access orders" in line with requirements for development, rather than install artificial enforcement mechanisms before growth.

Keywords : Rule of Law, ASEAN, Predictability, Human Rights, World Justice Project, ASEAN Community Vision.

The Full Text is available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.14330/jeail.2012.5.2.01

Rule of Law Indicators in Context: An Empirical Evaluation of GTZ Legal Advisory in Beijing

Vishnu Sridharan Rule of Law Consultant in Beijing
650 S. 43rd Street, Boulder, CO 80305 USA
Corresponding Author: vishnus@stanford.edu
ⓒ Copyright YIJUN Institute of International Law
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract
Much has been written about the general ability (or lack thereof) of international development organizations to effectively monitor and evaluate the impact of their Rule of Law projects on the ground. However, less research has focused on particular development organizations' methods of project evaluation, the politics behind them and their strengths and weaknesses. This paper offers such an analysis of the evaluation methods of GTZ Legal Advisory in Beijing. After describing the work of GTZ in general and its Legal Advisory in particular, the paper offers a detailed evaluation of the tools that it uses to gauge the impact of its projects on the ground. What is gained from such a particularized analysis is a deeper understanding of both the donor politics and organizational tradeoffs inherent in monitoring and evaluation decisions, two factors often given insufficient attention in more theoretical discussions.

Keywords : Rule of Law, GTZ, Monitoring and Evaluation, China, International Development.

The Full Text is available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.14330/jeail.2009.2.2.06