lawanddevelopment.org

Global interactions increasingly rely on law to govern them. Today, numerous rules dominate the interactions between states and non-state parties. International courts and dispute settlement mechanisms are in place to ensure compliance with commonly agreed norms.

International Law, however, is complex and often lacks universal acceptance. Worse, its influence is disproportionally strong on the poorest countries and countries in crisis. It is in situations of poverty and conflict where it has the most impact - for better or worse. International legal structures can provide security, stability and access to economic support, but they can just as easily prevent timely and adequate assistance. Development and humanitarian actors must increasingly be aware of their potential as well as their pitfalls.

Good Governance is easily prescribed, but must become a mindset of all involved to make the system work. Less and least developed countries are often governed by constitutions that are complex and inaccessible for their citizens. Without acceptance by their subjects, they weaken and cease to safeguard the nation state against failure. Development assistance must provide more than just models and institutions to move these countries forward.

lawanddevelopment.org was born out of a unique Masters programme at the University of London's »School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). The course puts graduates and professionals with a background in social sciences, humanitarian and development work together with lawyers and teaches international and comparative law. On lawanddevelopment.org alumni of the course present their original work; either their academic writing at SOAS or papers from their professional career afterwards. External contributors may be invited to add similar content.

This site is fully edited, and all contributions are chosen for their quality and relevance. Selected links to other sites on the web are provided in the individual sections. Only links to widely recognised public national or international organisations and initiatives are included. All rights for the documents on lawanddevelopment.org lie with the authors unless otherwise stated.

»Volker Hüls is editor and webmaster and takes full responsibility for the design, the code, and the fact that lawanddevelopment.org is online. The pictures from Afghanistan were kindly provided by »Kamala Janakiram. The editor aims to provide a unique repository of materials that explore the links between law and global economic development. Please get in touch for further information on any of the materials or links, and with suggestions for improvement or expansion of the site: »info@lawanddevelopment.org.