Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

SLE in Kenyan Slum Communities: Development of the Concept

  • Original Article
  • Published:
The European Journal of Development Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A pilot measure of subjective legal empowerment (SLE) based on self-efficacy theory was implemented in two slum areas of Nairobi (Kibera and Kamukunji) to examine the structure of SLE measured, and the discrimination between measures. The measure examined five types of legal problem (domains) in these communities both globally and through investigation of seven tasks that might be needed to solve the problem. Principal component analysis indicates that both the five domains and the seven tasks are accessing different constructs. Respondents clearly distinguished between different problem domains, as well as between tasks both within and between domains. These results support the model of SLE and highlight the need for further investigation of the constructs underlying such SLE evaluations.

Abstract

Une mesure pilote de la Démarginalisation Subjective Légale (DSL), basée sur la théorie de l’auto-efficacité, a été mise en oeuvre dans deux bidonvilles de Nairobi (Kibera et Kamukunji) afin d’étudier la structure de la DSL mesurée, et de la différenciation entre ces mesures. La mesure pilote étudie 5 types de problèmes juridiques (les domaines) au sein de ces deux communautés, à la fois au niveau international et par le biais d’une enquête sur 7 tâches qui pourraient résoudre le problème. Le diagnostic participatif au sein des communautés nous indique que les 5 domaines et les 7 tâches font appel à différents concepts. Les participants ont fait clairement la distinction entre différents problèmes, et différencient également les tâches au sein d’un même domaine de celles entre domaines différents. Ces résultats sont favorables au modèle de la Démarginalisation Subjective Légale, et mettent en valeur la nécessité d’aller plus loin dans la recherche sur les concepts qui soutendent de telles évaluations de la Démarginalisation Subjective Légale.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. Copies of the interview schedule are available from the corresponding author on request.

  2. Getting information about rights and law; collecting documentation or evidence; talking to the other party; getting help to reach a solution; finding a third party to make a decision; starting a court procedure; getting a lawyer to help in a court procedure.

  3. A Bonferroni-adjusted Pcrit of 0.005 was used to account for multiple comparisons.

  4. A Pcrit<0.001 was used to account for multiple comparisons as best as possible.

References

  • Bandura, A. (1977a) Analysis of self efficacy theory of behavioural change. Cognitive Therapy and Research 1 (4): 287–310.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A. (1977b) Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioural change. Psychological Review 84 (2): 191–215.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A. (1982a) Self-efficacy mechanism in human agency. American Psychologist 37 (2): 122–147.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A. (1982b) The assessment and predictive generality of self-percepts of efficacy. Journal of Behavioural, Theoretical and Experimental Psychiatry 13 (3): 195–199.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A. (1986) Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social Cognitive Theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A. (1997) Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control. New York: Freeman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A. (2005) Guide for constructing self-efficacy scales. In: F. Pajares and T.C. Urdan (eds.) Self-Efficacy Beliefs of Adolescents. Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A. and Adams, N.E. (1977) Analysis of self-efficacy theory of behavioral change. Cognitive Tehrapy and Research 1 (4): 287–310.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A. and Locke, E.A. (2003) Negative self-efficacy and goal effects revisited. Journal of Applied Psychology 88 (1): 87–99.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Banik, D. (2009) Legal empowerment as a conceptual and operational tool in poverty eradication. Hague Journal on the Rule of Law 1 (01): 117.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barendrecht, M. (2009) In search of microjustice: Five basic elements of a dispute system. SSRN, http://ssrn.com/paper=1334644, accessed 23 June 2014.

  • Barendrecht, M., Gramatikov, M.A., Porter, R.B. and Verdonschot, J.H. (2012) Towards basic justice care for all. Den Haag, the Netherlands, http://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=2229686, accessed 23 June 2014.

  • Bryant, F.B. and Yarnold, P.R. (1995) Principal-components analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. In: L.G. Grimm and P.R. Yarnold (eds.) Reading and Understanding Multivariate Statistics. Washington DC: American Psychological Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buck, A., Pleasence, P. and Balmer, N. (2008) Do citizens know how to deal with legal issues? Some empirical insights. Journal of Social Policy 37 (04): 661–681.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buck, A., Pleasence, P., Balmer, N., O’Grady, A. and Genn, H. (2004) Lone parents and civil law: Their experience of problems and their advice-seeking behaviour. Social Policy and Administration 38 (3): 253–269.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor (2008) Making the Law Work for Everyone. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (Vol. II Working) Washington DC: Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor United Nations Development Programme.

  • Denvir, C., Balmer, N.J. and Buck, A. (2012) Informed citizens? Knowledge of rights and the resolution of civil justice problems. Journal of Social Policy 41 (03): 591–614.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Denvir, C., Balmer, N.J. and Pleasence, P. (2013) When legal rights are not a reality: Do individuals know their rights and how can we tell? Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law 35 (1): 139–160.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Felstiner, W., Abel, R. and Sarat, A. (1980) Emergence and transformation of disputes: Naming, blaming, claiming …. Law & Society Review 15 (3/4): 631–654.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forster, J.L. and Jeffrey, R.W. (1986) Gender differences related to weight history, eating patterns, efficacy expectations, self-esteem, and weight loss among participants in a weight reduction program. Addictive Behaviors 11 (2): 141–147.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Genn, H. and Beinart, S. (1999) Paths to Justice. What People do and Think About Going to Law? Oxford: Hart Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Genn, H. and Paterson, A. (2001) Paths to Justice Scotland. What People in Scotland Do and Think About Going to Law. Oxford: Hart Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Giles, M.W. and Lancaster, T.D. (1989) Political transition, social development, and legal mobilization in Spain. The American Political Science Review 83 (3): 817–833.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gist, M.E. (1987) Self-efficacy: Implications for organizational behavior and human resource management. The Academy of Management Review 12 (3): 472–485.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gist, M.E. and Mitchell, T.R. (1992) Self-efficacy: A theoretical analysis of its determinants and malleability. The Academy of Management Review 17 (2): 183–211.

    Google Scholar 

  • Golub, S. (2010) What is legal empowerment? An introduction. In: T. McInerney (ed.) Legal Empowerment: Practitioners’ Perspectives. Rome, Italy: International Development Law Initiative, p. 7.

    Google Scholar 

  • Golub, S. and McQuay, K. (2001) Legal Empowerment: Advancing Good Governance and Poverty Reduction. Law and Policy Reform at the Asian Development Bank. Manila, Philippines: Asian Development Bank.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gramatikov, M.A. (2004) Study on Free Legal Aid in Criminal Cases in Bulgaria. Sofia, Bulgaria: Open Society Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gramatikov, M.A. and Porter, R.B. (2011) Yes, I can: Subjective legal empowerment. Georgetown Journal of Poverty Law and Policy 18 (2): 169–199.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gramatikov, M.A. and Verdonschot, J.H. (2010) Legal Needs of Vulnerable People: A Study in Azerbaijan, Mali, Rwanda, Egypt and Bangladesh. TISCO Working Paper Series on Civil Law and Conflict Resolution Systems, Tilburg University, the Netherlands.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jacob, H. (1969) Debtors in Court: The Consumption of Government Services. Chicago: Rand McNally.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jörgensen, F. and Svanberg, J. (2009) Legal self-efficacy and managers’ use of law. Archiv Fuer Rechts – Und Sozialphilosphie 95 (1): 189, 215.

  • Jörgensen, F. and Torpman, J. (2006) A model of business risk, legal self-efficacy and behaviour. In The Law Businessman: Five Essays on Legal self-efficacy and Business Risk. Stockholm: Stockholm University, pp. 1–35.

    Google Scholar 

  • Judge, T.A. and Bono, J.E. (2001) Relationship of core self-evaluations traits – Self-esteem, generalized self-efficacy, locus of control, and emotional stability – With job satisfaction and job performance: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology 86 (1): 80–92.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Khair, S. (2009) Evaluating legal empowerment: Problems of analysis and measurement. Hague Journal on the Rule of Law 1 (01): 33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lent, R.W., Brown, S.D. and Larkin, K.C. (1987) Comparison of three theoretically derived variables in predicting career and academic behavior: Self-efficacy, interest congruence, and consequence thinking. Journal of Counseling Psychology 34 (3): 293–298.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Linde, J.A. et al (2004) Binge eating disorder, weight control self-efficacy, and depression in overweight men and women. International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders: Journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity 28 (3): 418–425.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Locke, E.A., Frederick, E., Lee, C. and Bobko, P. (1984) Effect of self-efficacy, goals and task strategies on task performance. Journal of Applied Psychology 69 (2): 241–251.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • LoPucki, L.M. and Weyrauch, W.O. (2000) A theory of legal strategy. Duke Law Journal 49 (6): 1405–1486.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Margolis, H. and Mccabe, P.P. (2006) Improving self-efficacy and motivation: What to do, what to say. Intervention in School and Clinic 41 (4): 218–227.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Merry, S.E. and Silbey, S.S. (1984) What do plaintiffs want? Re-examining the concept of dispute. The Justice System Journal 9 (1): 151–178.

    Google Scholar 

  • Michelson, E. (2008) Justice from above or justice from below? Popular strategies for resolving grievances in rural China. China Quarterly 193: 43–64.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Patel, A., Balmer, N. and Pleasence, P. (2008) Geography of advice seeking. Geoforum 39 (6): 2084–2096.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pechacek, T.F. and Danaher, B.G. (1979) How and why people quit smoking: A cognitive-behavioural analysis. In P.C. Kendall and S.D. Hollons (eds.) Cognitive-Behavioural Interventions: Theory, Research and Procedures. New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pleasence, P., Balmer, N., Buck, A., Smith, M. and Patel, A. (2007) Mounting problems: Further evidence of the social, economic and health consequences of civil justice problems. In: P. Pleasence, A. Buck and N. Balmer (eds.) Transforming Lives: Law and Social Process. London: Legal Services Commission.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pleasence, P., Genn, H., Balmer, N., Buck, A. and O’Grady, A. (2003) Causes of action: First findings of the LSRC periodic survey. Journal of Law and Society 30 (1): 11–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schunk, D.H., Pajares, F. and Palacio, A. (2002) The development of academic self-efficacy. In: A. Wigfield and J.S. Eccles (eds.) Development of Achievement Motivation. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stajkovic, A.D. and Luthans, F. (1998) Self-efficacy and work-related performance; a meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin 124 (2): 240, 261.

  • Strecher, V.J., DeVellis, B.M., Becker, M.H. and Rosenstock, I.M. (1986) The role of self-efficacy in achieving health behaviour change. Health Education Quarterly 13 (1): 73–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, M.S., Locke, E.A., Lee, C. and Gist, M.E. (1984) Type a behaviour and faculty research productivity: What are the mechanisms. Organizational Behaviour and Human Performance 34 (3): 402–418.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Torpman, J. and Jörgensen, F. (2005) Legal effectiveness. Archiv Fuer Rechts – Und Sozialphilosphie 91 (4): 515–534.

    Google Scholar 

  • Usher, E.L. and Pajares, F. (2009) Sources of self-efficacy in mathematics: A validation study. Contemporary Educational Psychology 34 (1): 89–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank TISCO, part of the Department of Private Law, Tilburg University, and HiiL Innovating Justice for their support and encouragement over a number of years. In particular, thanks should go to Professor Maurits Barendrecht and Dr Martin Gramatikov for their extremely helpful comments and guidance on early drafts of this article. In addition, I would like to thank those who refereed the article, and provided substantive, concrete feedback that has resulted in a stronger article than I could have produced alone.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tilburg Institute for the Interdisciplinary Studies of Civil Law and Conflict Resolution Systems (TISCO), Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands

    Robert Porter

Authors
  1. Robert Porter
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Porter, R. SLE in Kenyan Slum Communities: Development of the Concept. Eur J Dev Res 27, 67–83 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1057/ejdr.2014.24

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/ejdr.2014.24

Keywords

Search

Navigation