The World Justice Project (WJP) is a multinational, multidisciplinary project to strengthen the rule of law for the development of communities of opportunity and equity.
What We Do
Our mission is to lead a global, multidisciplinary effort to strengthen the rule of law for the development of communities of opportunity and equity.
The World Justice Project includes three complementary and mutually reinforcing program areas: Mainstreaming, the Rule of Law Index and Scholarship.
View Available Staff PositionsMainstreaming
The WJP engages in mainstreaming both by convening action-oriented, multidisciplinary meetings (in the U.S. and internationally) on the rule of law; and by providing funding through its Opportunity Fund to non-governmental organizations and other entities for new multidisciplinary efforts to strengthen the rule of law. The WJP also convenes the World Justice Forum.
RECENTLY COMPLETED MAINSTREAMING ACTIVITY: CAPE TOWN CONFERENCE, MAY 6 - 7, 2009.
Rule of Law Index
The WJP has developed and administered this new tool to measure a country's adherence to the rule of law and to identify areas where a country's rule of law is weak. The WJP's Rule of Law Index is the first index that covers the rule of law comprehensively.
Scholarship
The WJP is supporting rigorous scholarship examining the contributions of the rule of law to various aspects of economic, political and social development and shedding new light on how to strengthen the rule of law.
What is the Rule of Law?
The WJP uses a working definition of the rule of law based on four universal principles.
1. The government and its officials and agents are accountable under the law.
2. The laws are clear, publicized, stable and fair, and protect fundamental rights, including the security of persons and property.
3. The process by which the laws are enacted, administered and enforced is accessible, fair and efficient.
4. Access to justice is provided by competent, independent, and ethical adjudicators, attorneys or representatives and judicial officers who are of sufficient number, have adequate resources, and reflect the makeup of the communities they serve.
