Resource information
This tool aims to support the scrutiny and the improvement of positive outcomes of laws for rural communities. It explores the reasons behind variable practical outcomes (good, average and bad) then suggests changes in how to develop laws, put them into practice or enforce them. It lists the key activities within this process as:identifying what laws say about community rights and benefitsclarifying who is responsible for delivering community rights and benefits and how it should happendevising a checklist of criteria to test whether rights and benefits are in place.selecting three case studies based on their perceived outcomes (good, average and bad) and cross-reference different people’s views about these casesfor each case study, using your criteria to investigate what elements of the law were followed or ignoredidentifying differences in the approaches and tactics used in each case. The key here is to understand why laws were adopted in the good case and not in the bad.inquiring which aspects of what worked in the good case study could be transferred to improve the bad case study drawing conclusions about the main gaps in the law process and how these should be fixed.This document is also available in French, Spanish and Portuguese.[adapted from author]
