Absence of Corruption, Factor 2 of the WJP Rule of Law Index, measures the absence of corruption in government. The factor considers three forms of corruption: bribery, improper influence by public or ...

Alternative dispute resolution mechanisms are accessible, impartial, and effective. The variable measures if the ADRs are affordable, efficient, enforceable, and free of corruption.

Civil Justice, Factor 7 of the WJP Rule of Law Index, measures whether ordinary people can resolve their grievances peacefully and effectively through the civil justice system. It measures whether civ ...

Civil justice is free of corruption measures whether the civil justice system is free of bribery and improper influence by private interests.

Civil justice is not subject to unreasonable delays measures whether civil justice proceedings are conducted and judgments are produced in a timely manner without unreasonable delay.

Civil justice is free of discrimination measures whether the civil justice system discriminates in practice based on socio-economic status, gender, ethnicity, religion, national origin, sexual orienta ...

Civil justice is effectively enforced measures the effectiveness and timeliness of the enforcement of civil justice decisions and judgments in practice.

Civil justice is free of improper government influence measures whether the civil justice system is free of improper government or political influence.

Criminal Justice, Factor 8 of the WJP Rule of Law Index, evaluates a country’s criminal justice system. An effective criminal justice system is a key aspect of the rule of law, as it constitutes the c ...

This variable measures whether the police, prosecutors, and judges are free of bribery and improper influence from criminal organizations.

This variable measures whether the police and criminal judges are impartial and whether they discriminate in practice based on socio-economic status, gender, ethnicity, religion, national origin, sexu ...

Criminal system is free of improper government influence measures whether the criminal justice system is independent from government or political influence.

Government officials in the executive branch do not use public office for private gain variable measures the prevalence of bribery, informal payments, and other inducements in the delivery of public s ...

Fundamental Rights, Factor 4 of the WJP Rule of Law Index, recognizes that a system of positive law that fails to respect core human rights established under international law is at best “rule by law, ...

The variable measures whether government officials in the executive, legislature, judiciary, and police are investigated, prosecuted, and punished for official misconduct and other violations.

Constraints on Government Powers, Factor 1 of the WJP Rule of Law Index, measures the extent to which those who govern are bound by law. It comprises the means, both constitutional and institutional, ...

Government powers limited by auditing and review measures whether comptrollers or auditors, as well as national human rights ombudsman agencies, have sufficient independence and the ability to exercis ...

Government powers limited by the judiciary measures whether the judiciary has the independence and the ability in practice to exercise effective checks on the government.

Government powers limited by the legislature measure whether legislative bodies have the ability in practice to exercise effective checks on and oversight of the government.

This variable measures whether an independent media, civil society organizations, political parties, and individuals are free to report and comment on government policies without fear of retaliation.

Government officials in the judicial branch do not use public office for private gain measures whether judges and judicial officials refrain from soliciting and accepting bribes to perform duties or e ...

Legislative branch do not use public office for private gain measures whether members of the legislature refrain from soliciting or accepting bribes or other inducements in exchange for political favo ...

Open Government, Factor 3 of the WJP Rule of Law Index, measures the openness of government defined by the extent to which a government shares information, empowers people with tools to hold the gover ...

Order and Security, Factor 5 of the WJP Rule of Law Index, measures how well a society ensures the security of persons and property. Security is one of the defining aspects of any rule of law society ...

The WJP Rule of Law Index calculates scores and rankings for eight factors and 44 sub-factors. The Index team constructed the final scores using a five-step process. They codified the questionnaire it ...

Government officials in the police and the military do not use public office for private gain measures whether police officers and criminal investigators refrain from soliciting and accepting bribes t ...

People can access and afford civil justice measures the accessibility and affordability of civil courts, including whether people are aware of available remedies; can access and afford legal advice an ...

Regulatory Enforcement, Factor 6 of the WJP Rule of Law Index, measures the extent to which regulations are fairly and effectively implemented and enforced. Regulations, both legal and administrative, ...

The variable measures whether government officials are elected or appointed in accordance with the rules and procedures set forth in the constitution. Where elections take place, it also measures the ...