Respect for individual liberties can grow, and the climate to attract investment can be improved. These aspects of transparency can be attained by requiring publication of a greater number of binding rules and regulations and by moving to an electronic publication system. All binding rules and regulations should be made available in an electronic format. Ensuring dissemination by itself cannot stop corruption or improve the education of judges, but it can contribute to an atmosphere in which judges and to some extent officials can be pressured to conform their conduct more closely to previously articulated norms. A second goal is prompt dissemination of any binding rules and regulations after promulgation.
Delays mar any system s transparency and undermine rule of law objectives.
For instance, district courts may not be aware of binding precedent, or government officials may not know which regulations to follow if certain parts have not been published. The time between promulgation and publication as well as the time between publication and dissemination should be limited. A move toward an electronic publishing system should minimize delay on both fronts by permitting a quicker way to prepare legal information for printing, and by facilitating dissemination of the information to outlying regions after publication. A centralized database makes it easier for a private firm or governmental official to learn the relevant laws and regulations. Thus, a central database needs to be accessible by individuals as well as institutions.