The Chinese Perspectives on Human Rights and Good Governance series reviews various aspects of human rights and good governance in China, including international human rights standards, specific substantive rights protection and rule of law, as well as constitutionalism, especially in the context of contemporary China. Its aim is to stimulate discussion on these and related topics, with a focus on international standards whenever these are applicable and relevant to China. In this first volume in the series, the contributors adopt different disciplinary approaches to look at China both in the context of its internal constraints and as a global player in the overall development of human rights. Where is China headed in the near future? Does Chinese culture stand in contradiction to human rights? Is the rule of law alien to Chinese society? Can China move ahead without political reforms? In this thought-provoking volume, leading Chinese and Western scholars offer analysis of these issues, also with reference to Chinese history and contemporary culture.

This volume, the result of an ongoing Nordic research project undertaken under the auspices of the Danish Centre for Human Rights in Copenhagen and the Raoul Wallenberg Institute for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law in Lund, examines the relationship and possible interaction between good governance and human rights. The contributors consist of academics and professionals with backgrounds in development studies, economics, law, political science, and sociology. Together they demonstrate the need for interdisciplinary dialogue and clarification of concepts, contents, and processes of realisation. While good governance is mainly pursued in a development context, it is a central message of the book that good governance guidelines ought to have universal applicability, affecting international organisations and public and private actors in Northern as well as Southern countries. Yet an established consensus does not exist on how good governance and human rights can or should complement each other. The book therefore assesses the advantages of using existing links and identifies ways of building new bridges for mutual support between governance and human rights. The authors examine their topics on the basis of theory, best practices, law, the experiences of societies undergoing democratic transition, and other empirical evidence, without attempting to come up with a common definition of good governance. The plurality of interpretations will hopefully further strengthen good governance and human rights as integral elements of a global agenda.

This book uses comparative law and comparative international law approaches to explore the role of human rights ombuds, classic-based ombuds and other types of ombuds institutions in human rights protection and promotion, their methods of application of international and domestic human rights law and their roles in strengthening good governance. It highlights the increasing importance of national human rights ombuds institutions globally and their roles as national human rights institutions (NHRIs).

This book uses comparative law and comparative international law approaches to explore the role of human rights ombuds, classic-based ombuds and other types of ombuds institutions in human rights protection and promotion, their methods of application of international and domestic human rights law and their roles in strengthening good governance. It highlights the increasing importance of national human rights ombuds institutions globally and their roles as national human rights institutions (NHRIs). Chapters address: ombuds institutions as mechanisms to strengthen democratic, horizontal and vertical accountability, the rule of law and good governance; national human rights ombuds institutions as NHRIs; the investigatory, litigation, promotional and other powers of human rights and classic-based ombuds and their methods for applying international and domestic human rights law; ombuds institutions and the protection and promotion of international children's rights; national human rights ombuds additional mandates as OPCAT national preventive mechanisms, UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Article 33(2) framework mechanisms and EU national equality bodies; human rights ombuds and business and human rights; ombuds institutions, gender and women's rights; the European Ombudsman and human rights; national human rights ombuds and other ombuds models by region, accompanied by case studies on national human rights ombuds; and the legal and extra-legal factors affecting ombuds institutional effectiveness.

The book explores the various aspects/dimensions of human rights and of the good governance and evaluates scientifically many facets of good governance both at national and international levels. It comprises 17 articles written by distinguished academicians. Each contribution explores a distinct theme in good governance and human rights and their impacts on democracy and the rule of law. The contributors have meticulously strived to organize their views and arguments in a coherent manner. Some of these contributions are abridged and edited versions of the presentation at the annual national seminar of the All India Law Teachers' Congress held on May 19-20, 2007 at New Delhi. This book will be extremely helpful to the academicians, NGOs, students and lawyers as well as to other institutions dealing with the rule of law, human rights and good governance.

This particular publication presents 21 case studies of governance reforms that have helped to better protect human rights. The title aims to help fill the gap between human rights standards and principles, on the one hand, and their implementation through governance interventions on the other. Those engaged in governance reforms frequently ask about the relevance of human rights, and how they can be meaningfully incorporated. Also once states have adopted appropriate legal frameworks, how can they and other social actors improve the implementation through further governance reforms. Divided into four sections, it addresses the key areas that need to be considered when embodying human rights as part of the government framework: Section 1: Strengthening democratic institutions; Section 2: Improving service delivery; Section 3: The rule of law; Section 4: Combating corruption.

This book explores the creation, development, and impact of the concept of 'good governance'. It argues that, alongside the ideas of the rule of law and democracy, good governance acts as a third conceptual cornerstone of the modern state. Good governance can be viewed as a multilevel concept influenced by regional and international legal developments while being grounded in national administrative law. The book presents six principles of good governance: properness, transparency, participation, effectiveness, accountability, and human rights. The development of each of these principles on the national level is explored in a wide range of European contexts, and in Australia, Canada, and South Africa. As well as offering a fully up-to-date and comprehensive overview of administrative law in different jurisdictions, the book compares the implementation of the principles of good governance, taking into account international and European administrative law developments.