ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an overview of how law and development have historically related to and influenced one another, and considers how law and development initiatives have historically linked to address issues such as corruption. Broadly, law and development, as initiatives, both aim to achieve the goal of improving society and the lives of individuals within it. Corruption in particular has become a key theme tackled by both legal institutions and approaches, as well as within the international development industry. The development industry and scholarship suggested that Western-style contract and property laws and judiciaries were necessary to attract significant levels of investment and therefore to bring about economic growth. The chapter discusses the major initiatives within three regions – the Americas, Europe and Africa. It also overviews the context that led to the proliferation of new international and regional conventions as well as domestic legislation covering offences of corruption in foreign jurisdictions.
