Law and Development: Past, Present, and Future

Law and development emerged as a field of study primarily to explain the role that law played in the rise of the West and identify the normative implications. The field has produced valuable insights, but it must now evolve to explain a different and more complex set of development trajectories. The rise of Asia and increases in within-country inequalities will have to become the focus of attention. Several key insights that have been gleaned from the study of law and development to date will be helpful in this respect. One is the need to analyze laws and development outcomes at subnational and supranational as well as national scales. A second is that law can influence development outcomes by obtaining reparations for historical injustices. A third is the need to take seriously deviations from legal orthodoxy. Last but not least is the value of expanding the sites of production of law and development research to incorporate, in meaningful ways, scholars and institutions in developing countries.