Rule of law and judicial independence in Mozambique

On 2 December 2020, Dr João Carlos Trindade, retired judicial magistrate and current chair of the governing board of the non-governmental organization Centro Terra Viva (CTV), will discuss his research on the rule of law and judicial independence in Mozambique. 

The presentation is based on the WIDER Working Paper ‘Rule of law and judicial independence’ elaborated as part of the Mozambique Institutional Diagnostic (MID) study under the Inclusive growth in Mozambique programme. The paper is part of the draft report of the MID study.

The MID study is part of the international research programme Economic Development and Institutions (EDI) funded by UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), and is managed through a partnership with multiple organisations including Oxford Policy Management (OPM), Paris School of Economics, Centre de Recherche en Économie de Développement (CRED), the University of Namur, and Aide á la Décision Économique (ADE).

To join the seminar and take part in the discussion, register here. The presentation will be in Portuguese.

About the research

According to the working paper, much still needs to be done to achieve rule of law and judicial independence in Mozambique. The author argues that the different attempts made so far to reform the legal system were always short-sighted and conjunctural in nature, under domestic and foreign pressure that was not always clear or well-intentioned. According to the author, real structural reforms need to be made for the judiciary to be able to affirm itself as a real power and, in this way, favour balanced growth of companies, increased productivity, investment and jobs and, at the same time, the defence of the rights and legitimate interests of individuals and groups with fewer economic resources.

About the MID Seminar Series 

The MID Seminar Series offers a forum for the presentation and in-depth discussion of thematic studies and results developed as part of the Mozambique Institutional Diagnostic (MID) study. Elaborated by key specialists in their fields, the topics covered by the studies include decentralization, education, natural resources, and the rule of law in Mozambique.