Thailand ranks near the bottom, at 80th among 97 countries assessed for delivering effective civil justice but the country shows strengths in control of crime and criminal justice, according to the World Justice Project's Rule of Law Index 2012 report.
Source: World Justice Project
Released this week in Washington D.C., the report ranks countries across eight areas impacting on the rule of law: limits on government power, corruption, security, fundamental rights, open government, regulatory enforcement, civil justice, and criminal justice. The report compiles results of interviews with 97,000 members of the general public and more than 2,500 experts in 97 countries.
According to the report, Thailand earns high marks on absence of crime and effectiveness of the criminal justice system (ranking 35th globally and seventh among its income peers).
However, civil conflict and political violence are significant problems. Corruption is common, particularly within the legislature and the police.
The country's lowest scores are in the dimension of civil justice (ranking 80th), partly because of delays in processing cases and difficulties in enforcing court decisions.
Australia, Japan, New Zealand and Singapore lead the East Asia & Pacific region in most dimensions of the rule of law.
"Achieving the rule of law is a constant challenge and a work in progress in all countries. The WJPs Rule of Law Index is not designed to shame or blame, but to provide useful reference points for countries in the same regions, with comparable legal cultures and similar income levels," said World Justice Project founder William H. Neukom.
The World Justice Project (WJP) is an independent, nonprofit organisation working to advance the rule of law for the development of communities of opportunity and equity worldwide.
See full report at http://worldjusticeproject.org/blog/wjp-rule-law-index-2012-0