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Rätt och utveckling - ett postmodernt perspektiv

Utterström, Marcus LU (2010) JURM01 20102
Department of Law
Abstract
There was a growing interest in the United States during the 1960s regarding the relationship between legal reforms and economic and social development in the Third World. This was the start of a movement that became known as Law and Development. It consisted of both practical projects and theoretical studies. The overall goal was to help the Third World out of poverty and underdevelopment. There are strong connections between this movement and modernity. Development was seen as an evolutionary process in which a liberal democracy and a free market would lead to economic growth and social development. Given the right conditions, Third World countries would develop in the same way that Western countries already had. Law and Development... (More)
There was a growing interest in the United States during the 1960s regarding the relationship between legal reforms and economic and social development in the Third World. This was the start of a movement that became known as Law and Development. It consisted of both practical projects and theoretical studies. The overall goal was to help the Third World out of poverty and underdevelopment. There are strong connections between this movement and modernity. Development was seen as an evolutionary process in which a liberal democracy and a free market would lead to economic growth and social development. Given the right conditions, Third World countries would develop in the same way that Western countries already had. Law and Development imploded in the 1970s because of failed projects and massive self-criticism based on the movement’s ethnocentric view of the world. This failure can also be linked to a general critique of modernity.

More recently, interest in Law and Development has increased. Organizations such as the United Nations Development Programme and the World Bank are investing large sums of money in legal development. The world has changed dramatically since the 1970s, which is a reason for the renewed interest in Law and Development. However, the new world offers not only new opportunities but also new challenges.

Today’s world can be seen as a postmodern one. Law and Development must relate to a reality where emphasis has shifted from production to consumption, from the state to the individual, from the national to the local and the global. Mass communication and mass consumption have created a new reality. It is therefore important to examine the current debate within Law and Development from a postmodern perspective. Focus is on the elements of post-modernity linked with the failure of modernity, post-colonialism and the accelerating globalization.

The postmodern perspective gives an opportunity to make a critical analysis of today’s debate within Law and Development. It also creates possibilities for new perspectives on future work within Law and Development. One example of this is how legal pluralism can create an understanding about global legality.

In the analysis the influence of post-modernity on Law and Development is discussed. Proposals for future research and trends within Law and Development are given. The importance of a global perspective is underlined. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
I USA under 1960-talet växte intresset för kopplingen mellan juridiska reformer och ekonomisk och social utveckling i tredje världen. Detta var startskottet för en rörelse som kom att kallas Law and Development. Det var en löst sammansatt rörelse som bestod av såväl praktiska utvecklingsprojekt som teoretiska akademiska satsningar. Det övergripande målet var att hjälpa tredje världen ur fattigdom och underutveckling genom att exportera amerikanska ekonomiska och juridiska modeller. Det finns starka kopplingar mellan denna rörelse och moderniteten; utveckling sågs som en evolutionär process där en liberal demokrati och en fri marknad skulle leda till ekonomisk tillväxt och social utveckling. Länderna i tredje världen skulle, genom att ges... (More)
I USA under 1960-talet växte intresset för kopplingen mellan juridiska reformer och ekonomisk och social utveckling i tredje världen. Detta var startskottet för en rörelse som kom att kallas Law and Development. Det var en löst sammansatt rörelse som bestod av såväl praktiska utvecklingsprojekt som teoretiska akademiska satsningar. Det övergripande målet var att hjälpa tredje världen ur fattigdom och underutveckling genom att exportera amerikanska ekonomiska och juridiska modeller. Det finns starka kopplingar mellan denna rörelse och moderniteten; utveckling sågs som en evolutionär process där en liberal demokrati och en fri marknad skulle leda till ekonomisk tillväxt och social utveckling. Länderna i tredje världen skulle, genom att ges rätt förutsättningar, utvecklas på samma sätt som länderna i väst redan hade gjort. Rörelsen imploderade i mitten av 1970-talet på grund av misslyckade projekt och massiv självkritik som grundade sig på rörelsens etnocentriska världsåskådning. Detta kan även kopplas till en allmän kritik av moderniteten.

På senare tid har intresset för sambandet mellan rätt och utveckling vuxit. Aktörer som United Nations Development Programme och Världsbanken satsar stora summor pengar på juridiska utvecklingsprojekt. Världen har förändrats mycket sedan 1970-talet vilket också är en anledning till det förnyade intresset för rätt och utveckling. Men den nya världen erbjuder inte enbart nya möjligheter utan också nya problem.

Dagens tillvaro kan ses som en postmodern sådan. Rätt och utveckling måste förhålla sig till en verklighet där tyngdpunkten har skiftat från produktion till konsumtion, från staten till individen, från det nationella till det lokala och globala. Masskommunikation och masskonsumtion har skapat en ny verklighet. Det är därför angeläget att undersöka dagens akademiska debatt inom rätt och utveckling ur ett postmodernt perspektiv. I detta arbete fokuseras på de delar av postmoderniteten som hänger samman med modernitetens misslyckande, globaliseringen och postkolonialismen.

Genom att koppla samman den första Law and Development-rörelsens misslyckande med modernitetens misslyckande och analysera dagens värld ur ett postmodernt perspektiv ges möjlighet att göra en kritisk analys av dagens debatt inom rätt och utveckling. Det postmoderna perspektivet möjliggör också nya infallsvinklar på framtida arbete inom rätt och utveckling. Exempelvis skapar pluralistiska teorier om rätten möjlighet att undersöka den globala legalitet som får ett allt större utrymme och inflytande i världen.

I den avslutande analysen diskuteras hur rätt och utveckling påverkas av det postmoderna tillståndet. Förslag till framtida undersökningar och inriktningar ges och betydelsen av ett globalt perspektiv på rätten understryks. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Utterström, Marcus LU
supervisor
organization
alternative title
Law and Development - a Postmodern Perspective
course
JURM01 20102
year
type
H3 - Professional qualifications (4 Years - )
subject
keywords
Law and Development, rätt och utveckling, Rättsvetenskap
language
Swedish
id
1737907
date added to LUP
2010-12-16 13:46:21
date last changed
2010-12-16 13:46:21
@misc{1737907,
  abstract     = {{There was a growing interest in the United States during the 1960s regarding the relationship between legal reforms and economic and social development in the Third World. This was the start of a movement that became known as Law and Development. It consisted of both practical projects and theoretical studies. The overall goal was to help the Third World out of poverty and underdevelopment. There are strong connections between this movement and modernity. Development was seen as an evolutionary process in which a liberal democracy and a free market would lead to economic growth and social development. Given the right conditions, Third World countries would develop in the same way that Western countries already had. Law and Development imploded in the 1970s because of failed projects and massive self-criticism based on the movement’s ethnocentric view of the world. This failure can also be linked to a general critique of modernity.

More recently, interest in Law and Development has increased. Organizations such as the United Nations Development Programme and the World Bank are investing large sums of money in legal development. The world has changed dramatically since the 1970s, which is a reason for the renewed interest in Law and Development. However, the new world offers not only new opportunities but also new challenges.

Today’s world can be seen as a postmodern one. Law and Development must relate to a reality where emphasis has shifted from production to consumption, from the state to the individual, from the national to the local and the global. Mass communication and mass consumption have created a new reality. It is therefore important to examine the current debate within Law and Development from a postmodern perspective. Focus is on the elements of post-modernity linked with the failure of modernity, post-colonialism and the accelerating globalization.  

The postmodern perspective gives an opportunity to make a critical analysis of today’s debate within Law and Development. It also creates possibilities for new perspectives on future work within Law and Development. One example of this is how legal pluralism can create an understanding about global legality.  

In the analysis the influence of post-modernity on Law and Development is discussed. Proposals for future research and trends within Law and Development are given. The importance of a global perspective is underlined.}},
  author       = {{Utterström, Marcus}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Rätt och utveckling - ett postmodernt perspektiv}},
  year         = {{2010}},
}