The Van Vollenhoven Institute for Law, Governance, and Development (VVI) is part of the Leiden Law School.
 

The Institute seeks to advance knowledge of the formation and functioning of legal systems in the developing world and of their effectiveness in contributing to good governance and development. The Van Vollenhoven Institute dates back to the era when Dutch lawyers and administrators were trained for service in colonial Indonesia, Surinam and the Antilles. Today, the Institute collects, produces, stores, and disseminates knowledge on the processes of and relationships between law, governance and development, particularly in Asia and Africa.
 

In its research and teaching, VVI uses a socio-legal approach. The Institute carries out research projects in Asia (notably Indonesia), Africa and in the Middle East. VVI staff teaches several thematic and regional courses for Dutch and foreign students. In addition, VVI provides advisory services and training courses to policy makers and practitioners.
 

Research

Their research employs a socio-legal approach to develop insights into the workings of national legal systems in their historical, social and political contexts. It includes both state law and legal institutions, as well as customary and religious normative systems, with a special focus on access to justice. In their research projects the processes of law-making, administrative implementation, enforcement and dispute resolution have a prominent place. Local case studies help us to find out how law functions in society.
Through comparative analysis and formulation of theory, the Institute makes recommendations for legal reform and international legal assistance.
 

Education

The Van Vollenhoven Institute offers thematic and regional courses that attract both Dutch and overseas students. ‘Law, Governance and Development’ is the main introductory course. An overview of the main fields of Islamic law – its history as well as contemporary debates – are covered in ‘Introduction to Islamic Law’ and 'Sharia and National Law in the Muslim World', while ‘Law and Culture’ explores the relationships between these two concepts from legal, sociological and anthropological angles. In addition, regional courses on law and governance in Indonesia and Africa present specific legal systems in their social and development contexts, with special attention to how law actually functions on the ground.

The Van Vollenhoven Institute also offers the minor Law, Culture and Development. The Institute also offers tailor-made courses on law and development for academics and professionals, in Leiden and on location abroad.

Library

Their library contains over 22,000 books, journals and historical documents under the care of a specialized librarian.