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Beyond Rule of Law Orthodoxy: The Legal Empowerment Alternative

The international aid field of law and development focuses too much on law, lawyers and state institutions, and too little on development, the poor and civil society. In fact, it is doubtful whether "rule of law orthodoxy," the dominant paradigm pursued by many international agencies, should be the central means for integrating law and development.

by Stephen Golub
published by
Carnegie Paper No. 41
 on October 14, 2003

Source: Carnegie Paper No. 41

Summary
The international aid field of law and development focuses too much on law, lawyers and state institutions, and too little on development, the poor and civil society. In fact, it is doubtful whether "rule of law orthodoxy," the dominant paradigm pursued by many international agencies, should be the central means for integrating law and development.

This working paper examines legal empowerment—the use of legal services and related development activities to increase disadvantaged populations' control over their lives—as an alternative.

About the Author

Stephen Golub is a lecturer in international development and law at the Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California at Berkeley.

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Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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