Many development agencies believe that legal reform is a critical ingredient in democratization and economic development. They are keen to provide relatively simple models that can be easily supported with traditional tools of foreign assistance. They also want to avoid hearing that each country is unique, that legal and development orthodoxy does not necessarily translate to all contexts and that Western expertise may be of dubious value.
If a strong outside force produces an impact on the law, the effect will often be shaped by existing social structures and cultures. The forces of change will bend and filter, and the final form the law takes will be a compromise. A major event (war, famine, or revolution) or an innovation (antibiotics, automobiles or computers) might result in a judicial system that is more receptive to women’s pleas for equality, but the same change might produce a judiciary that is more determined to uphold certain principles.
After an approach for legal reform is agreed to by the Work Group, the Work Group begins carefully developing proposed legislation. This involves communicating with and educating people who will be affected by the new legislation, answering questions, alleviating misinformation, and resolving any issues that arise during this process.
Regulatory changes within states and immigration reforms at the federal level are moving slowly. We are still grappling with what that means for individuals, who often have to navigate a system stacked against them-often with life-altering consequences.
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