World Justice Project 2022 Releases The Rule of Law Index 2022

India was ranked 77th, while Denmark is ranked first

An international civil society organisation, World Justice Project (WJP), released the Rule of Law Index 2022 which surveys citizens and experts in 140 jurisdictions to measure the state of the rule of law. The report compiles information about the "rule of law" in 140 different nations. Among its many insights is the conclusion that there has been a global decline in the rule of law for the fifth year in a row, i.e., the "rule of law weakened in more countries than it improved in 2022.According to the report, India was ranked 77th, while Denmark is ranked first.

What is the Rule of Law?

The rule of law, as defined by WPJ, is "a durable system of laws, institutions, norms, and community commitment" that upholds a number of universal principles, including accountability (for public and private entities), just law (clear, stable law), open government (accessible government), and an impartial justice system. Constraints on Government Power, Absence of Corruption, Open Government, Fundamental Rights, Order and Security, Regulatory Enforcement, Civil Justice, and Criminal Justice are among the eight factors that make up the concept of the rule of law that the Index offers new data for.

What does the Rule of Law Index offer ?

The WJP Rule of Law Index offers a rigorous quantitative tool that gives citizens, governments, policymakers, donors, businesses, media, academics, and civil society organisations around the world a comprehensive and comparative analysis of how well nations uphold the principles of the rule of law. The Index also reports on the continued "widespread erosion of fundamental rights," noting that respect for human rights fell in 66% of the countries surveyed this year. With a broader lens, the Index demonstrates that between 2015 and 2022, the rule of law has deteriorated in 64% of countries. With relation to the publication of the Rule of Law Index 2022, the World Justice Project (WJP) and the Bar Association of India (BAI) are working together.

What is the World Justice Project?

The WJP is an independent, multidisciplinary organisation that works to advance the rule of law throughout the world by generating knowledge, raising awareness, and inspiring action. The World Justice Project was started by William H. Neukom as a presidential initiative of the American Bar Association (ABA) in 2006. With the initial backing of 21 other strategic partners, it became an independent non-profit organisation in 2009. Washington DC, Seattle, Singapore, and Mexico City are all home to its offices.

                                               Overall, these shifts away from liberal democracy based on rules and toward authoritarianism portend serious difficulty in the future. The differences in how states govern themselves will have a disproportionate impact on shaping solutions to some of our most intractable problems, including digital disruption and disinformation, corruption and illicit trafficking, and outright war, as big-power geopolitical competition continues to heat up. How dangerous this divergence has become is demonstrated by Russia's illegitimate invasion of Ukraine and its sophisticated disinformation strategies.

Conclusion 

In conclusion, global tendencies toward and away from rights-based, rule-based governance are more closely aligned with the fault lines of escalating geopolitical struggle globally. Not only is the multipolar world at our doorstep chaotic, unstable, and unsafe, but it also raises existential concerns about how power is distributed and human dignity is upheld. The United States, Europe, and its other like-minded friends will need clever ways to support their own performance as open and just societies and to vehemently defend those ideals overseas in order to avert the next major titanic battle.