Many Roads to Justice: The Law Related Work of Ford ... - UNDP

3 2 4 TH E M AT I CPE R S P E C T I V E Simportant advances in the short nine months that it had to completeits investigations and report.R e s e a rch to Enhance the Public DebateLaw-related work can often be more effective when it reachesbeyond a narrow, legal realm. To be broadly understood and widelysupported, such work needs to be made public. This objectivecan, of course, be accomplished without research. But good informationand high-quality analysis can help nourish and stimulate apublic discussion about a legal question. If done creatively, withattention to targeted sectors of the population, research activitiescan significantly enhance public debate and help build support forlegal policy reforms. Without accurate and convincing information,positive options and ideas are less likely to get the attentionthey deserve.In a number of countries, issues of racial discrimination andminority rights have generated considerable research attention inan effort to engage the public in searches for solutions. T h r e eexamples from different parts of the globe follow.When court decisions and political rhetoric in the UnitedStates led to a groundswell of attacks on affirmative action policies,Americans for a Fair Chance (AFC), a consortium of six ofthe most prominent U.S. civil rights and women’s rights groups,was formed specifically to broaden public understanding ofantidiscrimination policies. Using solid data about the use ande ffect of affirmative action programs, AFC challenges negativemisconceptions, argues that affirmative action should not beequated with preferences or quotas, and shows that on the wholesuch programs have been fairly implemented. Research used byAFC ranges from intensive studies done by academic centers,government agencies, and other sources, to its own commissionedresearch. In addition, AFC has used public opinion polls, focusgroups, town meetings, and other tools to assess the publicresponse to the issues it works on, and to develop a better understandingof how best to deliver its own messages. While aff i r m a-tive action policies continue to face difficult challenges nationwide,A F C ’s work has enabled defenders of those policies to craftsubstantive, fact-based messages that highlight the benefits of