Paths to justice in the Netherlands: looking for signs of social exclusion

Van Velthoven, Ben and Ter Voert, Marijke (2004): Paths to justice in the Netherlands: looking for signs of social exclusion. Published in: Department of Economics Research Memorandum No. 2004.04 (2004): pp. 1-22.

Abstract

In 2003 Genn's Paths to Justice study for the UK was replicated in the Netherlands. A survey was held among 3.500 citizens into their experiences with problems for which there might be a legal solution.The data were collected by internet questionnaires, which were addressed to a random sample of an internet panel. In this paper we present some major findings on: (1) the incidence of justiciable problems within the population; (2) the kind of strategies people choose to solve their problems; (3) the outcome of different strategies for resolving justiciable problems; (4) the public's perceptions of the legal system. More specifically, we study differences with respect to age, marital status, educational level, income level and social class, in order to shed some light on the role and scope of social exclusion. Our results suggest that access to justice in the Netherlands is not so much restricted by the supply of legal advice and the organisation of the legal system, as well as by insufficient social-psychological capabilities of the citizens concerned.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Legal procedure, legal system, social exclusion
• Subjects: K - Law and Economics > K4 - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior > K41 - Litigation Process

References

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Van Velthoven, B.C.J., and M.J. ter Voert, Geschilbeslechtingsdelta 2003, Den Haag, WODC, forthcoming