From Measuring Access to Justice

Introduction

Measuring Access to Justice in a Globalizing World. The Hague Model of Measuring Access to Justice is a research and development project. Its primary goal is to develop, validate and disseminate a standard methodology for measuring the costs and quality that normally users of justice may expect whent they travel on Path to Justice. The methodology aspires to be applicable in both international and national settings.

Divorce, protection of personal integrity or property, claiming social benefits are all examples of paths to justice. In essence the methodology measures the perceptions of the the users of justice along three indicators - the costs of justice, the quality of the procedure and the quality of the outcome.

How the measurement can help you and your users? It could show gaps in the access to justice, indicate the performance levels and facilitate improvements as well as provide feedback to suppliers of procedures. Provision of more information will empower the users to make better decisions and choices. Comparing the studied path to justice with other paths is an essential extension of the measurement. NGOs and advocacy groups can use the data to induce stakeholders to improve servies (removing obstacles such as complex procedures, market failures, regulatory failures and bureaucratic approaches).

Want to start measuring? Download the most recent research instrument and consult the Handbook of Measuring Justice (under development) for advice how to measure the paths to justice step by step. Some quick answers could also be found in the Q&A section.

Additional information about the project can be found through the links provided on the pages of this wiki and here.

The Measuring Access to Justice Project is a partnership between The Hague Institute for the Internationalisation of Law, Tilburg University; and Utrecht University.