Rule of Law Innovation, Design, Experimentation, Acceleration, and Solutions (IDEAS) Lab

The USAID Rule of Law Innovation, Design, Experimentation, Acceleration, and Solutions (IDEAS) Lab provides a collaborative space to share knowledge, generate data, develop cutting-edge tools, and ideate game-changing approaches to strengthen the rule of law and promote people-centered justice (PCJ). The IDEAS Lab also serves as the primary mechanism for implementing the Rule of Law Policy and provides a central clearinghouse for learning, tools, and reference materials generated by and from USAID’s Rule of Law programming.

An initial focus of the IDEAS Lab is on the growing field of PCJ, which is a new and expanding arena of USAID’s Rule of Law efforts. PCJ emphasizes the importance of justice services that help real people solve their problems, whether or not they see them as legal issues. 

Using PCJ approaches, USAID projects gather data to identify and understand legal needs and problems as well as what works to resolve these issues for particular groups in society. PCJ is an empowering set of approaches, raising legal literacy among, and encouraging direct involvement of ordinary citizens in the co-design of justice services. PCJ emphasizes the vital role of government in the democratic social contract of establishing and maintaining justice systems that are accessible, effective, and responsive.