Multipart thematic paper on multi-stakeholder ... - ISIS Europe

institutions and actors. If one sector of society abandons corruption, arbitrariness, and violence and submits
itself to the rule of law, but other groups do not, than the groups that obey the rule of law will be at a
comparative disadvantage to those that do not in terms of achieving their goals, because they will have
willingly curtailed their range of possible actions. Rule of law will only occur when enough parts of a society
are committed to upholding and enforcing it so that the advantages of lawbreaking are lost. Rule of law
therefore requires a holistic transformation of society, one that involves changes in not just institutions but
also attitudes and ways of thinking among both officials and ordinary citizens. Adding to all of the
difficulties of rule-of law promotion is the fact that no one has a clear idea of what a nation under the rule of
law ought to look like (Carothers 2003: 7). Nor can anyone be certain, given the example of nations like
China, that rule of law is necessary for economic development or even the establishment of democracy
(Carothers 2003: 6).
Yet despite these difficulties, the rule of law remains one of the chief concerns of the good
governance movement in post-conflict setting. It is also emphasized by organizations that give a large
amount of developmental assistance, which want to ensure that their investments in economic development
are not squandered by bad management, corruption, and disrespect for law and institutions. The hope is that,
by focusing on all of the separate elements of the rule of law, such as transparency in government, strong
judicial institutions, and a populace educated about the importance of fairness and justice, the rule of law can
eventually be achieved.
MSPs are an example of a way that international organizations have attempted to minimize the effect
of corruption and the lack of rule of law on their work. In theory, MSPs are a good way of redefining the
principle-agent relationship that normally exists between international organizations, NGOs, and
governments. All groups are actively involved in running the partnership; ideally all groups, therefore, have
access to the same information about how tasks are assigned and funds are distributed. Corruption becomes
harder to conceal, because the information gap between donor and agent is narrowed.
Another theoretical advantage of MSPs is that, unlike most other international efforts, which involve
temporary, ad hoc programs and grants, MSPs are institutionalized to a certain degree. An institutionalized
partnership, unlike an ad hoc program, requires a clearly-defined set of norms, expectations, and
responsibilities in order to function. Institutionalized efforts will be much more effective than a temporary
effort at constraining actors’ activities and keeping them within defined roles, and will therefore help
promote the rule of law, at least in the context of the MSP’s activities.
For MSPs to be successful at eliminating corruption, they must above all have instruments in place to
ensure that information is adequately shared between different partners, and that all partners and actors are
accountable to the regulations and standards of the partnership.
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