Doctoral Dissertation Research: Building the Rule of Law and Judicial Independence in Sub-Saharan Africa: the Cases of Malawi, Tanzania, and Uganda

博士论文研究：撒哈拉以南非洲建设法治和司法独立：马拉维、坦桑尼亚和乌干达的案例

• 批准号: 0617472
• 负责人: Michael Tolley
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Northeastern University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2006-09-01 至 2007-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0617472&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Building; Rule

Abstract"Doctoral Dissertation Research: Building the Rule of Law and Judicial Independence in Sub-Saharan Africa: the Cases of Malawi, Tanzania, and Uganda." SES--0617472 This project will explain and analyze the conditions under which judicial independence and assertiveness are rendered possible. While important insights on judicial decision-making have been derived by judicial scholars in the U.S., to date, these theories have not been tested within sub-Saharan Africa. Furthermore, democratization scholars have overwhelmingly failed to incorporate important findings related to judicial independence and decision-making into their theories on democratization. This research will address these deficits through an in-depth, longitudinal comparative case study of Malawi, Uganda and Tanzania. The study examines judicial independence in these three transitional democracies by addressing two key questions. 1) Do judges adjust their decision-making according to the perceived threat level of current and future political environments? 2) Is a competitive multiparty democracy a necessary condition for judicial independence? The study will be conducted using qualitative methods, analyzing data collected both in the field and in the U.S. The primary source of data will be court cases selected from national law reports. This will be supplemented by newspaper and interview data. It is the assumption of this study, that an independent and empowered judiciary is central to the development of the rule of law. The terms 'good governance' and 'rule of law' have become de rigueur amongst policy actors. From the World Bank to USAID, international actors now understand that the rule of law is critical to economic development in the third world. It is essential to the maintenance of horizontal accountability, protecting human rights, addressing corruption and is fundamental in order to attract foreign direct investment. However, one cannot simply tell countries that the 'rule of law' must be present, we have to understand the ways and conditions under which the rule of law functions and is created. This must begin with a critical examination of judicial decision-making and independence.The broader impact of this research is that it will shed light on what judicial independence means to citizens of Malawi, Tanzania, and Uganda, and will in turn enlighten U.S. judicial scholars about the contours of judicial independence in West Africa. The study will also inform U.S. scholars about the role of institutions, such as courts, democratization in African countries.

摘要“博士论文研究：撒哈拉以南非洲建设法治和司法独立：马拉维、坦桑尼亚和乌干达的案例”。 SES--0617472 该项目将解释和分析司法独立和自信得以实现的条件。 尽管美国司法学者得出了有关司法决策的重要见解，但迄今为止，这些理论尚未在撒哈拉以南非洲地区得到检验。此外，民主化学者绝大多数未能将与司法独立和决策有关的重要发现纳入他们的民主化理论中。本研究将通过对马拉维、乌干达和坦桑尼亚进行深入的纵向比较案例研究来解决这些缺陷。 该研究通过解决两个关键问题来考察这三个过渡民主国家的司法独立性。 1）法官是否根据当前和未来政治环境的感知威胁程度来调整决策？ 2）竞争性多党民主是司法独立的必要条件吗？ 该研究将采用定性方法进行，分析在实地和美国收集的数据。数据的主要来源将是从国家法律报告中选择的法庭案件。这将得到报纸和采访数据的补充。 本研究的假设是，独立和赋权的司法机构是法治发展的核心。 “善政”和“法治”这两个词已成为政策制定者的必备术语。从世界银行到美国国际开发署，国际参与者现在认识到法治对于第三世界的经济发展至关重要。 它对于维持横向问责制、保护人权、解决腐败问题至关重要，对于吸引外国直接投资也至关重要。然而，我们不能简单地告诉各国必须存在“法治”，我们必须了解法治运作和创建的方式和条件。 这必须从对司法决策和独立性进行批判性审视开始。这项研究更广泛的影响在于，它将阐明司法独立对马拉维、坦桑尼亚和乌干达公民意味着什么，进而启发美国司法学者关于西非司法独立的轮廓。 该研究还将让美国学者了解法院、非洲国家民主化等机构的作用。