A Mayores Previsiones …Resultados Imprevistos: Reforma Judicial en America Latina-Indicios Sobre

Abstract

Starting in the 1980s, and acceleration through the 1990s, international financial institutions (IFIs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and development agencies funneled considerable resources into judicial reform and rule of law programs in virtually every Latin America 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 juncture disjuncture between the sponsors´expectations of the judicial reforms´ economic impact and the observed outcomes.