Building Social Capital Through Consultative Decision Making: A Proposal for an Integrated Approach to Local Justice Sector Reform Programs

Abstract

This article examines how social capital is built through participation in community-based consultative decision making. Specifically, the article focuses on the contribution that consultative decision making in post-conflict environments makes to the enhancement of community trust and access to justice. Consultative decision making is a process in which a group seeks to discover relevant facts pertaining to a common issue, share its views in a spirit of openness, agree on applicable principles, and carry out group decisions in a collaborative spirit. Drawing on participant feedback, meeting minutes, and post-consultation reports, the article presents two case studies demonstrating the direct impact that community consultative processes have on the creation of both individual dispute resolution capacity and viable and sustainable models of access to justice in the informal sector and access to justice systems in the formal sector.