Rule of Law: Concept & General Issues

What We Know and Don’t Know About The Rule of Law

The rule of law is now at the center of the global agenda of development, viewed as a key to good governance, democracy, and growth. But we still know remarkably little about where the rule of law comes from, how it is sustained, and what outside actors can do to enhance it. This workshop brings together many of the leading scholars in the field to consider the state of the art on the rule of law, integrating theoretical and practical perspectives. The goal of the meeting is to define an agenda for rule-of-law research going forward.

This Rule of Law Research Consortium (RLRC) Conference was held at the University of Chicago Law School on October 31-November 1, 2014. The RLRC is a core initiative of the World Justice Project's Research and Scholarship program.

Opening Remarks

• Tom Ginsburg, University of Chicago-
• Alejandro Ponce, World Justice Project

Panel I: Concept & General Issues 

Margaret Levi, Stanford, Moderator

Presentations:

• Gillian Hadfield, USC & Barry Weingast, Stanford: "Microfoundations of the Rule of Law"
  • Comments by Eric Posner, Chicago
• Renata Uitz, CEU Budapest: "Dismantling the Rule of Law in the Heart of Europe: Comparative Reflections on the Hungarian Case"
  • Comments by Aziz Huq, Chicago