The purpose of the paper is twofold. First, it analyses the evolution of the justice system in the region of Madrid for the last 10 years as a case study of the Spanish model. The dominant discourse of efficiency in public management has led to organizational changes and redistribution of economic resources. These changes aimed at a more sustainable system both from an economic and a democratic perspective. The balance between these two dimensions is at stake with measures such as legal aid and the introduction of judicial taxes. The paper shows the results of these changes aimed at modernizing the system of justice as an essential part in the functioning of economic markets and the quality of democracy. Empirical evidence on the evolution of performing ratios in courts (e.g. resolution, duration of different types of processes) is presented.
Second, from this development, the paper summarizes the first results of an own survey among professionals in the justice system. The survey provides information about which criteria define better the concept of "quality" in the justice system (from judicial independence, to accessibility for the citizenry, etc,). The data collected also cover the assessment of the organizational measures needed to build a modern justice system consistent with democratic quality.
The paper contributes to the debate about judicial systems and democracy by addressing diverse perceptions of the judicial quallity among professionals and exploring different types of outputs of the judiciary system in Madrid.
