WebsiteWorld Justice Project

WJP Rule of Law Index

2025

https://worldjusticeproject.org/rule-of-law-index/

What It Is: The World Justice Project's annual Rule of Law Index, drawing on surveys of more than 215,000 households and 4,100 legal practitioners and scholars across 143 countries, scoring each country on eight factors — including Constraints on Government Powers, Absence of Corruption, Open Government, and Fundamental Rights — further broken into 44 sub-factors.

Why It Matters: The 2025 edition found the global rule-of-law recession accelerating, with 68% of countries declining (up from 57% the prior year). The United States ranked 27th out of 143 countries, falling in seven of eight factors for the third consecutive year and ranking among the ten countries with the largest declines worldwide.

How to Use It: Use the interactive country rankings to benchmark rule-of-law trends — and the specific factors driving them — in every market where your company operates, useful for enterprise risk assessments and board-level briefings on legal and regulatory exposure.

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381 – 400 of 432 results showing

ReportAmerican Academy of Arts & Sciences

Our Common Purpose: Reinventing American Democracy for the 21st Century

2020

Summarizes the results of a two-year bipartisan commission studying citizen concerns and how to revitalize democratic participation. Calls for a “fourth founding” of the United States, outlining six imperatives: achieve equal representation, empower voters, ensure political responsiveness, expand civil society, build civic information systems, and nurture a culture of commitment to democracy.

ToolForio

Patient Zero: Leadership and Team Decision Making Simulation

Christopher Robichaud, Harvard Business Publishing & Forio, 2020

What It Is: A two-hour, multiplayer leadership simulation from Harvard Business Publishing and Forio in which teams of advisors lead a fictional country through an escalating outbreak crisis, making high-stakes ethical decisions with incomplete information and no established precedent to guide them.

Why It Matters: The simulation is built specifically to expose the gap between a team's stated values and its actual behavior under pressure — forcing profound disagreement within the team itself, not just against an external threat. That tension mirrors what many public affairs and crisis-communications teams experience when a company's stated commitments meet a fast-moving, high-stakes real-world event.

How to Use It: Use with public affairs, communications, or executive teams as a low-stakes way to pressure-test how your organization's decision-making process holds up under disagreement and incomplete information, before a real crisis puts those same dynamics to the test.

ToolForio

Power Plays and Tricky Tactics: Negotiating with Difficult People

2020

What It Is: A negotiation-skills simulation from the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business and Forio, built around nine video scenarios in which a professional actor enacts a specific "power play" or "tricky tactic" during a startup co-founders' negotiation, requiring learners to recognize and respond to the tactic in real time.

Why It Matters: Negotiators are often reluctant to practice "going negative" with peers in a classroom setting, leaving them unprepared for real-world tactics designed to pressure or manipulate. The simulation's focus on recognizing power plays — rather than just responding to good-faith disagreement — offers a useful parallel to the distinction between legitimate influence and undue pressure covered elsewhere in this collection.

How to Use It: Use with government-affairs, procurement, or business-development teams to build comfort recognizing and responding to coercive negotiation tactics before they're tested in a live deal or policy negotiation.

ReportWorld Business Council for Sustainable Development, Volans & EY

Reinventing Capitalism: A Transformation Agenda

2020

Highlights key factors required to refocus capitalism on long-term inclusive growth, including specific practices and policies that businesses should support. (See pg 5-13)

ReportCarnstone Partners Ltd

Responsible Lobbying Framework

2020

Provides a five-principle framework for responsible lobbying. Helpful for companies trying to orient themselves on their value/stance development in their corporate political activities as actions in the space come under increased scrutiny.

ArticleHBR

The Business Case for Saving Democracy

Rebecca Henderson, 2020

Henderson combines the public sentiment of distrust in corporate influence with evidence suggesting that free politics support free markets. She provides a strong case for businesses to fundamentally change their role from partisan players to supporters of the democratic process.

ReportBSR

The Business Role in Creating a 21st Century Social Contract

Cramer, et al, 2020

BSR’s report (71 pages in full, 9-page summary linked here) focuses on creating a new social contract in business, focused on ample collaboration between public and private entities, so that we can face future challenges at scale. This review highlights the opportunity areas specifically for businesses.

ArticleProMarket (Stigler Center, University of Chicago Booth School of Business)

What Stakeholder Capitalism Can Learn from Milton Friedman

Alex Edmans, 2020

This article reexamines Milton Friedman’s shareholder primacy argument, suggesting that stakeholder capitalism can incorporate market discipline and accountability principles without abandoning broader societal obligations. It argues that profit-seeking must operate within competitive markets and legal frameworks that preserve democratic legitimacy and prevent capture.

ArticleHBR

When Should Your Company Speak Out on a Social Issue?

Paul Argenti, 2020

Considers three critical questions companies must ask themselves when deciding to speak out or take a stance on an issue. Assessment is oriented around alignment, potential influence, and constituency agreement.

ReportHarvard Business School

A Recovery Squandered (Chapter 3: The Role of Business in Politics Today and Tomorrow)

Michael E. Porter, Jan W. Rivkin, Mihir A. Desai, Katherine M. Gehl, William R. Kerr, with Manjari Raman, 2019

While this report more broadly assesses America’s competitiveness, Chapter 3: The Role of Business in Politics Today and Tomorrow, identifies the role of business in political gridlock, and suggests potential solutions. (See pg 28-36)

More information about the Harvard Business School Competitiveness Initiative is available here.

ArticleThomson Reuters

Board Oversight of Corporate Political Activity and CEO Activism

Holly J. Gregory, 2019

This article emphasizes the importance of board oversight in managing corporate political engagement and CEO activism, stressing the need for clear policies to mitigate risks and align political actions with overall business strategy. It highlights growing shareholder expectations for accountability and the potential reputational and financial impacts of CEO public statements.

ArticleHarvard Law School

Fiduciary Blind Spot: The Failure of Institutional Investors to Prevent the Illegitimate Use of Working Americans’ Savings for Corporate Political Spending

Leo E. Strine, Jr., 2019

Researchers describe the “double legitimacy” problem. American workers need to invest portions of their income into mutual funds to have economic security, thus becoming Worker Investors. Corporations are unconstrained and can dip into these funds to support their political spending. This paper outlines the Big 4’s political power in resolving the double legitimacy problem, and how their refusal is supporting policies that go against the Worker Investor.

Article Harvard Kennedy School

For the Sake of Argument

Nora Delaney, 2019

This teaching resource promotes constructive disagreement and structured debate as tools for better public decision-making. It encourages leaders to engage with opposing perspectives thoughtfully, emphasizing intellectual humility, evidence-based reasoning, and respectful dialogue to improve policy and organizational outcomes.

ArticleNational Review

The Case for Common Good Capitalism

Marco Rubio, 2019

Contrasts common-good capitalism with the modern shareholder-dominated economy. Advocates for restoring balance by prioritizing worker benefits and economic fairness. Analyzes how large corporations have become beholden to shareholder and bank demands, reducing innovation and limiting financial opportunity for other stakeholders.

ArticleNBER

The Economics and Politics of Market Concentration

Thomas Philippon, 2019

This article presents data on structural shifts in U.S. markets over the past two decades, showing how rising concentration moves returns from labor to capital, reduces competition, and limits investment. It distinguishes “good” concentration, driven by efficiency and innovation, from “bad” concentration, driven by rent-seeking. These market changes also influence political trends and policymaking, highlighting the broader economic and governance implications of concentrated industries.

ArticleHarvard Business Law Review

The Untenable Case for Keeping Investors in the Dark

Lucian A. Bebchuk, Robert J. Jackson, Jr., James David Nelson & Roberto Tallarita, 2019

The authors argue that withholding corporate political spending from investors increases reputational and legal risks. They contend that transparency allows investors to make informed decisions, aligning their investments with their values and minimizing potential risks.

ArticleCalifornia Management Review

CSR Needs CPR: Corporate Sustainability and Politics

Thomas P. Lyon, Magali A. Delmas, John W. Maxwell, Pratima (Tima) Bansal, Mireille Chiroleu-Assouline, Patricia Crifo, Rodolphe Durand, Jean-Pascal Gond, Andrew King, Michael Lenox, Michael Toffel, David Vogel & Frank Wijen, 2018

Suggests that a company’s political activities may have more impact on social and environmental sustainability than operations, and argues that corporate political responsibility requires transparency, accountability, and responsibility.

ReportIssue One

Dark Money, Illuminated

2018

Informative look at what dark money is, how it came to be, and the influence it has on shaping our society. Provides both a report and a first-of-its-kind database shining a light on transactions happening in the dark.

ArticleHarvard Business Review

Managing 21st-Century Political Risk

Condoleezza Rice & Amy Zegart, 2018

This article outlines how businesses can manage modern political risks, which now stem from a broader range of sources, including social media, local officials, and cybercriminals. It emphasizes four core competencies—understanding, analyzing, mitigating risks, and responding to crises—and provides practical questions and case studies to help companies strengthen their ability to handle political disruptions.

ReportB Team

SHARED SPACE UNDER PRESSURE: BUSINESS SUPPORT FOR CIVIC FREEDOMS AND HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS

Bennett Freeman, 2018

This piece offers guidance for companies on how to protect civic freedoms and support human rights defenders. It outlines the normative framework, business case, and moral considerations for corporate engagement, emphasizing the importance of understanding the reality and severity of harms, the company's involvement, and the context in which they operate.

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