Building Blocks for the Rule of Law: Policy Note regarding Indonesian Law Education and The Future of Legal Co-operation between Indonesian and Dutch Law Schools

This policy note discusses results and lessons learned from the Building Blocks for the Rule of Law Project – a unique project of co-operation between Indonesian and Dutch Law Schools that was conducted from 2010 to 2012 with financial support of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs.

The Building Blocks Project brought together four groups of legal scholars from several Indonesian universities and the universities of Leiden and Groningen. Meeting in three to four workshops of one week each during the project period, these groups discussed major developments in Civil Law, Criminal Law, Labour Law and Socio-Legal Studies in Indonesia and the Netherlands, as well as more general issues of curriculum development and legal education. The project aimed at exchange of knowledge and comparison between the legal systems of both countries. It also produced six Indonesian language textbooks to be used in Indonesian legal education.

The results of the project were presented to and discussed with a wider audience at a conference in Jakarta, in June 2012. This policy note was developed before and during the conference, and intends to disseminate the most important insights from the project.

The Building Blocks for the Rule of Law Project 2012

The Building Bocks for the Rule of Law project is an initiative of Leiden University and Groningen University of the Netherlands, and Universitas Indonesia.  It was launched in January 2009 and is scheduled to conclude in September 2012. The entire project has been made possible by the generous funding of the Indonesia Facility, implemented by the NL Agency, on behalf of the Dutch Ministry of European Affairs and International Cooperation.