JOURNAL ARTICLE

Is Every Law for Everyone? Assessing Access to National Legislation through Official Legal Databases around the World.

  • Published In: Oxford Journal of Legal Studies, 2023, v. 43, n. 2. P. 298 1 of 3

  • Database: Business Source Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Nishikawa-Pacher, Andreas; Hamann, Hanjo 3 of 3

Abstract

The article examines the global availability and quality of official legal databases (OLDs) that provide public access to statutory law. It defines a "minimum viable" OLD as one that is free, searchable by statute titles and full texts, reusable in text format, and plausibly comprehensive of current laws. Surveying 204 countries and jurisdictions, the study finds that only 48% meet these minimum criteria, 12% offer no online access to statutes, and 40% provide databases lacking at least one criterion. Access to statutory law is unevenly distributed geographically, with Europe performing best, and is positively correlated with economic development and internet usage. The findings highlight significant challenges for legal research, practitioners, and the public, especially in the Global South, and underscore the need for improved, FAIR-compliant legal information infrastructures worldwide.

Additional Information

  • Source:Oxford Journal of Legal Studies. 2023/06, Vol. 43, Issue 2, p298
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Law
  • Publication Date:2023
  • ISSN:0143-6503
  • DOI:10.1093/ojls/gqac032
  • Accession Number:164129258
  • Copyright Statement:Copyright of Oxford Journal of Legal Studies is the property of Oxford University Press / USA and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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