Tell Us About 'Justice': JSW Law's Legal Needs Assessment

Abstract

In late 2018, a team of researchers from Jigme Singye Wangchuck School of Law set out to document perceptions and expectations of justice across Bhutan. This project, the Legal Needs Assessment, intends to capture contemporary Bhutanese perceptions and definitions of justice, broadly defined. The researchers will document how individuals and communities make use of either the traditional or more formal dispute resolution mechanisms. The study will also explore how Bhutan’s historically unique recent history has influenced understandings of “justice,” and how these definitions may still be shifting as a result of the country’s push towards modernization and development. This brief article outlines the initial rationale behind the development of this project. As of February 2020, Legal Needs Assessment has completed field research in all 20 of Bhutan’s districts (Dzongkhags).