ABSTRACT
Around the world in recent years there have been two somewhat divergent trends in the role of law in economic and social development. One is the remarkable growth in the use of legal institutions and an apparent global convergence of legal norms in the direction of a universal model. The contrasting trend has been the reassertion of local cultural practices that define group memberships, individual identities and community concepts of justice. How these trends interact and the tensions they represent are telling, not only of the role of law in development, but also of the possible new values and/or institutions that may emerge.
