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Abstracts -- Executive summary -- 1. Introduction -- 2. The goals of judicial reform -- 3. Judicial reforms in Latin America and the Caribbean -- Judicial independence -- Judicial administration -- Procedural codes -- Access to justice -- Legal education and training -- Bar associations -- 4. Implementation of a judicial reform program: policy recommendations -- References.

The World Bank has a number of projects in judicial reform under implementation and preparation and has found that there exists a need to define the elements of an overall judicial reform program which can be adapted given country-specific needs. This paper offers a coherent approach to judicial sector projects with which to assist governments from around the world. It proposes a program for judicial reform which specifically addresses the monopolistic nature and resultant inefficiency and inequity of court services, as well as the economic and legal causes behind them. The basic elements necessary to ensure an efficient judiciary are discussed. They include measures to guarantee judicial independence through changes in judicial budgeting, judicial appointment, and court administration; providing alternative dispute resolution mechanisms; enhancing the public ' s access to justice; incorporating gender issues in the reform process; and redefining legal education and training programs for students, lawyers and judges.