Judicial Reform in Latin American Courts: The Experience in Argentina and Ecuador

Author(s):  
Edgardo Buscaglia ◽  
Maria Dakolias
2004 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 507-531 ◽  
Author(s):  
BRUCE M. WILSON ◽  
JUAN CARLOS RODRÍGUEZ CORDERO ◽  
ROGER HANDBERG

‘Judicial independence is a means to a strong judicial institution, which is a means to personal liberty and prosperity.’ United States Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer.Starting in the 1980s, and accelerating through the 1990s, international financial institutions (IFIs), non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and development agencies funnelled considerable resources into judicial reform and rule of law programmes in virtually every Latin American and Caribbean country. The assumption was that reformed court systems would foster free market economic development strategies. This article examines the impact of two frequently advocated aspects of judicial reform, judicial access and judicial independence, on economic policy making in Costa Rica. We argue that there is a potentially significant disjuncture between the sponsors' expectations of the judicial reforms' economic impact and the observed outcomes.


1999 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Muñiz ◽  
Gerardo Prieto ◽  
Leandro Almeida ◽  
Dave Bartram

Summary: The two main sources of errors in educational and psychological evaluation are the lack of adequate technical and psychometric characteristics of the tests, and especially the failure to properly implement the testing process. The main goal of the present research is to study the situation of test construction and test use in the Spanish-speaking (Spain and Latin American countries) and Portuguese-speaking (Portugal and Brazil) countries. The data were collected using a questionnaire constructed by the European Federation of Professional Psychologists Association (EFPPA) Task Force on Tests and Testing, under the direction of D. Bartram . In addition to the questionnaire, other ad hoc data were also gathered. Four main areas of psychological testing were investigated: Educational, Clinical, Forensic and Work. Key persons were identified in each country in order to provide reliable information. The main results are presented, and some measures that could be taken in order to improve the current testing practices in the countries surveyed are discussed. As most of the tests used in these countries were originally developed in other cultures, a problem that appears to be especially relevant is the translation and adaptation of tests.


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