The World Bank Legal Review, Volume 1: Law and Justice for Development

Sustainable poverty reduction and equitable economic development rest on the firm foundation of the rule of law. On the domestic front, countries must engage in legal reform in order to maximize the benefits of globalization, increase efficiency in business transactions, improve the way governments deliver essential services, and facilitate access to an effective justice system. Internationally, new rules are needed to face global threats such as money laundering, destabilizing capital movements, communicable diseases, and attacks on the environment. The first volume of "The World Bank Legal Review" is the result of the World Bank's experience with legal and judicial innovations and research around the world. CONTENTS......Page 9 Note from the Editor in Chief......Page 11 Foreword by the President of the World Bank......Page 13 Articles......Page 17 Legal and Regulatory Aspects of E-Commerce and the Internet......Page 19 Intellectual Property Rights and the Protection of Public Health in Developing Countries......Page 177 Assessing a Bill in Terms of the Public Interest: The Legislator ’s Role in the Law-making Process......Page 223 Property Rights Issues in Common Property Regimes for Forestry......Page 273 The Quality of Judges......Page 323 Recent Legal Developments......Page 393 The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the World Bank......Page 395 Islamic Law on Interest: The 1999 Pakistan Supreme Court Decision on Riba......Page 409 The Instrument Establishing the World Bank Prototype Carbon Fund (PCF) and the First PCF Emission Reductions Purchase Agreeme......Page 449 Ethical Norms for the Judicial Branch of the Republic of Guatemala......Page 541 The Right to Housing: Government of the Republic of South Africa and Others v. Grootboom and Others......Page 557 Agreement Establishing the African Trade Insurance Agency......Page 587 Recent Reports......Page 629 China and the Knowledge Economy: Seizing the 21st Century (The World Bank 2001) (excerpts from chapter 4: Updating Economic I......Page 631 Principles and Guidelines for Effective Insolvency and Creditor Rights Systems (unpublished World Bank report, excerpts)......Page 643 Index......Page 665 The World Bank legal review: law, equity, and development, volume two, is a publication for policy makers and their advisers, attorneys, and other professionals engaged in the field of international development. It offers a combination of legal scholarship, lessons from experience, legal developments, and recent research on the many ways in which the application of law and the improvement of justice systems promote poverty reduction, economic development, and the rule of law. In keeping with the theme of the World Development Report 2006: equity and development, and following the success of the World Bank Group's legal forum on 'law, equity, and development' in December 2005, volume two of the World Bank legal review focuses on issues of equity and development. The volume draws together some of the key ideas of the Legal Forum, including articles by many of its distinguished participants, and explores the role of equity in the development process, highlighting how legal and regulatory frameworks and equitable justice systems can do much to level the playing field in the political, economic, and socio-cultural domains, as well as how they can reinforce existing inequalities Sustainable poverty reduction and equitable economic development rest on the firm foundation of the rule of law. On the domestic front, countries must engage in legal reform in order to maximize the benefits of globalization, increase efficiency in business transactions, improve the way governments deliver essential services, and facilitate access to an effective justice system. Internationally, new rules are needed to face global threats such as money laundering, destabilizing capital movements, communicable diseases, and attacks on the environment.The first volume of The World Bank Legal Review: Law and Justice for Development is the result of the World Bank's unique experience with legal and judicial innovations and research around the world. It will be of interest to policy makers, attorneys, international development professionals, and anyone interested in the role of law and justice in the multi-faceted struggle to relieve poverty and improve living standards in developing countries. Title from ebook title screen (viewed on Oct. 12, 2004).