Judicial reform in Latin America and the Caribbean proceedings of a World Bank conference [held on June 13-14, 1994, in Washington, D.C

The papers in this volume were presented at the World Bank Conference on judicial reform in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), held on June 13-14, 1994, in Washington, D.C. This conference, part of a series organized by the LAC Technical Department Public Sector Modernization Division, was intended to promote an exchange of views among researchers, practictioners, and government officials in the area of judicial reform. Sustainable development is predicated on a judiciary that can enforce the rule of law and foster a legal and judicial environment that encourages trade, financing, and investment. The resolution of disputes must be swift and fait. Yet the judicial systems in Latin Amercia and the Caribbean are plagued by case delays and backlogs. Court decisions are neither transparent nor predictable, and public confidence in the judicial system is weak. The judicial reform conference identified strategies for improving the administration of justice, with a focus on these themes: 1) judicial reform and its role in economic development; 2) the economic costs and benefits of judicial reform; 3) procedural reforms; 4) administrative dispute resolution mechanisms; 5) access to justice; 6) the legal profession; and 7) judicial training and legal education. This report of the conference proceedings discusses the judicial reform efforts of more than twenty countries in both Latin America and the Caribbean and the industrialized world. It is hoped that this volume will help judiciaries in their efforts to improve their administration of justice.