Since its inception in 2006, the WJP has helped provide people around the world with a better understanding of the rule of law and therefore more opportunities in almost every aspect of their lives – from education to health care and property rights to the fair and peaceful resolution of disputes. The WJP`s engagement initiatives aim to make the promotion of the rule of law as fundamental to the thinking and work of other professionals as it is to lawyers and judges. Germany`s renewable energy law was enacted to ensure that the country reduces its greenhouse gas emissions and increases its dependence on renewable energy sources. The goal of the law is to make Germany greenhouse gas neutral by 2050 and significantly reduce emissions by 2030. With new wind and solar power plants as well as massive investments in the renewal of the entire grid, a complete conversion to renewables by 2050 is now becoming a realistic goal. The law is regularly renewed, updating the objectives to take account of new technological advances. Clean Energy Wire reported on the latest version of the law in 2021. The lowest-ranked countries are Venezuela, Cambodia, Afghanistan, Egypt and Cameroon. Russia is ranked dangerously low, as are predominantly African and Asian countries that are not known for respecting the civil rights of their citizens. The link between the rule of law and corruption exists, but it is not perfect. Of the top 15 countries in the Rule of Law Index, nine are among the fifteen countries in the CPI.
And four of the 15 countries in the Rule of Law Index rank in the top half of the CPI. The first factor measures the effectiveness of institutional control of government and the extent of smooth transitions of power. It is the same group of Scandinavian countries that are also highly regarded as corruption-free regions (absence of corruption is the second measure in the index) that performs very well on both measures. Singapore scores as well in the second measure as New Zealand (the least corrupt country in the world). The top 15 countries in the Rule of Law Index have an average CPI ranking of 15.8. Then it becomes interesting when the Scandinavian countries start to rotate and Singapore takes the first place. Singapore also takes the lead in the next action, enforcement. Where the rule of law is strong, there is not much room for corruption. In law-abiding societies, those who pay or demand bribes are usually arrested and punished.
This deters the idea of corruption and its actual practice. The CPI assesses the largest number of countries – 182 – and assigns an overall score to each country. The rule of law index does not work that way. It comprises only 66 countries with representatives from each region and uses ten separate assessment categories. It lacks an overall score and a rank of the country. From the Rule of Law Index, we selected the most significant category for our comparison – «Order and Security,» which measures the enforcement of «laws designed to protect human security and ensure the safety of persons and property.» Index rankings and scores are based on more than 400 variables from two new data sources: (i) a General Population Survey (GPP) designed by the WJP and conducted by leading local pollsters using a probability sample of 1,000 respondents in the three largest cities in each country; and (ii) a Qualified Respondent Questionnaire (QRQ) completed by national experts in civil and commercial law, criminal law, labour law and public health. To date, more than 97,000 individuals and 2,500 experts in 99 countries and jurisdictions have been interviewed. [8] Respect for the rule of law is assessed on the basis of 47 indicators grouped around eight themes: limitation of governmental powers, absence of corruption, open government, fundamental rights, order and security, law enforcement, civil justice and criminal justice. In addition to country ratings and rankings, the index also includes key global scores, as well as analysis of regional strengths, rule of law challenges, best and worst outcomes, and observed trends. [9] In the Netherlands, there are special traffic rules for cycling.