With uneven progress in justice systems across Latin America and the Caribbean, Dexis expert Sebastián Albuja sheds light on designing governance and rule of law interventions in the region.
What inspired your transition from practicing law in Ecuador to focusing on rule of law and governance globally?
Sebastián: When I started practicing law fresh out of law school in Ecuador, I found it to be intellectually challenging and rewarding but limiting. I missed the social and political dynamics involved in problems of governance and policy. This led me to seek opportunities to understand these broader challenges, such as a life-changing Fulbright scholarship in the United States. Fulbright opened doors and perspectives for me in a way I had never imagined possible and allowed me to focus on rule of law and governance on a regional and global scale. Academic work I did early in my career on forced migration also taught me a lot about what failed rule of law and governance mean for people. It showed me that these aren’t abstract concepts. They are the glue that literally holds societies together and creates the conditions for people to live safe, productive lives.
How do you approach designing large-scale development programs across diverse political and legal environments?
Sebastián: I focus on the people who are at the center of the challenges. The key is to build connection progressively by sharing interests, fears, and hopes of my own in a way that feels comfortable and natural. Once that connection starts to happen, it’s easier to go beyond the surface to a deeper level of dialogue. That is where the real determinants of any problem reside. I think this applies to any political or legal environment, and it’s true no matter where you are working to design a program. Approaches like scripted key informant interviews or focus groups may give you data. But these findings may be limited without really understanding people’s core aspirations and concerns.
How are Dexis’ projects in Guatemala, Mexico, and El Salvador transforming governance and rule of law?
Sebastián: In Guatemala, for example, the project helped to uncover corrupt networks that exploited government programs for economic gain by cheating the immigration system. Because of its results, the approach developed by our team has been scaled to multiple ministries and institutions in Guatemala. In Mexico, the team is supporting a key U.S. government priority, semiconductor nearshoring, by supporting state governments to update regulation and companies to strengthen their integrity practices. And in El Salvador, our newest program in the region, our team is bringing together actors who, due to the complexity of the local political situation, do not normally collaborate or speak to each other. Now, they are collaborating to develop shared initiatives to provide justice services centered on the needs of users.
How do you envision the future of governance and rule of law in the LAC region?
Sebastián: Most indices of democracy and rule of law describe a declining trend across the LAC region. However, rather than focusing on the obvious downward trend, it is more productive to look at the reasons why democracies in the region were unable to deepen or strengthen after gaining ground between 1980 and 2000. Political scientists Scott Mainwaring and Aníbal Pérez Liñán identify three reasons for the stagnation of democracy in the region: the pernicious influence of organized crime and networks associated with former authoritarian regimes; the inability of democracies to deliver better services and economic growth resulting in a better quality of life for most people; and the prevalence of “hybrid states”—those that work efficiently in some areas and geographies, but inefficiently and corruptly everywhere else.
I like this way of seeing the downward trend because it offers avenues for solutions. For example, if we look at the performance of the courts and access to justice in the region, there are certainly pockets of excellence, efficiency, and quality, but their reach is limited. So, the challenge is more about expanding or scaling that excellence across geographies, institutions, and individuals than deepening it within those that are already functioning reasonably well. From that perspective, I am optimistic about efforts underway to expand the reach of quality justice services.
What motivates you to continue working to strengthen governance, build the rule of law, and expand access to justice?
Sebastián: I believe that everyone should have the opportunity to pursue their dreams and goals knowing that basic conditions of safety, justice, and predictability are there to support and enable them. It is painful to see so many talented people in countries where those basic conditions are absent have their dreams and goals thwarted. At the same time, it is inspiring to see the resourcefulness and the grit that so many people show in these challenging environments. Their stories and experiences motivate me to do the best work I can to advance the rule of law and expand access to justice.
Sebastián Albuja
Sebastián Albuja is a Senior Technical Director at Dexis, where he oversees and advises a portfolio of governance and rule of law programs in Guatemala, Mexico, and El Salvador.
