Law and Multidimensional Measurement

Without accurate measurement of phenomena, it can be difficult to enact targeted corrective policies. While measurement in the social sciences is always challenging, it becomes infinitely more so when the phenomena under study are multifaceted and, thus, cannot easily be assessed by reference to a single factor. Phenomena of this latter variety might include governance, empowerment, or rule of law. Multidimensional measurement techniques have sought to capture such phenomena. Legal scholarship utilizing multidimensional measurement has, to date, generally focused on techniques treating each factor independently, which fails to reveal the interdependency of different factors. This Article seeks to fill that methodological gap by presenting an alternative measurement framework, and illustrating its value for the legal community through a criminal justice index we have constructed.