How the Descriptive Surveys Were Conducted

While the prevailing global narrative is that of democratic decline, some nations have been actively initiating judicial reforms in recent years. The Latin American countries of Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, and Peru have conducted significant judicial reform programs in the past decade. Evaluations of these countries’ reform efforts were conducted through secondary source research and speaking with in-country experts. These countries’ reforms are classified across three dimensions in order to descriptively analyze their impacts:

1. Motivation for Reform: Democracy Promotion, Human Rights, Economic Development, International Crime and Security, Corruption, Access to Justice
2. Scope of Reform: “Thin”, “Thick”, Both
3. Mode of Reform: Legislative, Executive, Judiciary, Constitutional Amendment, Popular Mobilization and Advocacy, International Actors