The Speed of Justice

Abstract

Can procedural reforms improve judicial efficiency? And do improvements in judicial efficiency benefit firms? We combine the staggered roll-out of a reform that required judges in Senegal to complete pre-trials within four months with high-frequency caseload data and firm tax filings. The reform improved judicial efficiency, with no e.ect on quality. Firm monthly revenues drop by 8-11 percent upon entering pre-trial, and decline by on average 3.2-5.0 percent for every 100 days a case spends in pre-trial. Survey results show firms are willing to pay higher legal fees to achieve post-reform speed, suggesting positive benefits of the reform on firms.

Testing the Impact of Liquidation Speed on Leverage Using Indian Data

“…This paper also adds to the literature on judicial efficiency (Kondylis and Stein, 2023) new findings about the implications of the efficiency of bankruptcy regulation. Previous work reveals that slow liquidation may add to liquidation costs, with substantial effects at the macroeconomic level on employment and investment as well as monetary policy effectiveness (Srhoj et al, 2023;Dou et al, 2021;Ponticelli and Alencar, 2016;Aysun, 2015).…”

Formalizing Dispute Resolution: Effects of Village Courts in Bangladesh

“…Other papers (e.g., Kalkschmied, 2023) point to the importance of institutions to support contracts and property rights, but our results suggest that the details of how those institutions are implemented matter. A more recent literature use reforms to judicial systems to show that better-functioning courts support credit markets, increase investment, revenue, and productivity, and foster economic growth (Chemin, 2009a(Chemin, ,b, 2012Kondylis and Stein, 2021;Rao, 2022;Chemin, 2020). This literature also shows that courts can be improved through procedural reforms and monitoring, providing more personnel and financial support, or providing individual-level legal support (Sandefur and Siddiqi, 2013;Aberra and Chemin, 2021).…”

Digital justice delivery in Zimbabwe: Integrated electronic case management system adoption

“…Delays in the disposal of court cases often create problems such as prison overcrowding, high rates of recidivism, increased opportunities for corruption and a general loss of confidence in the justice delivery system of a country (Hasan & Rupa 2021). Reducing delays in the administration of justice is a priority for many contemporary judicial systems (Kondylis & Stein 2018). In this regard, the maxim 'justice delayed is justice denied', which is celebrated by judicial systems worldwide, informs the digitalisation of courts (Benyekhlef, Amar & Callipel 2015).…”