Legal technical assistance

Abstract

The widespread process of economic and political liberalization currently taking place in developing countries and in countries in Eastern and Central Europe has brought about a renewed interest in the role of law and legal institutions. The introduction of policies of economic liberalization, deregulation and privatization is generally accompanied by major changes to the legal framework. Likewise, the process of political liberalization is often combined with constitutional reform. While the primary responsibility for developing a new legal framework rests with national governments, multilateral banks and bilateral donor agencies have become increasingly concerned with it. Thus, over the past eight years, legal technical assistance has become a major component of both multilateral and bilateral aid programmes.