New study regarding Ombudsman institutions

January 20, 2017

The International Ombudsman Institute (IOI), whose General Secretariat is located at the Austrian Ombudsman Board’s (AOB) Office in Vienna, is pursuing its goal of intensifying its scientific research on Ombudsman Institutions. “Asian Ombudsman Institutions – A comparative legal analysis” is the title of the latest comparative law research, which is the third publication in a series of studies on Ombudsman institutions in Europe and the Australasia & Pacific region.

The IOI commissioned the University of Vienna with conducting this comparative study on Ombudsman Institutions in the Asian region between May 2014 and April 2016. The research was led by Prof. Dr. Gabriele Kucsko-Stadlmayer and Prof. Dr. Ursula Kriebaum, further supported by the two scientific scholars, Philipp Janig and Thomas Eder.

For this research project, a comprehensive survey aimed at an in-depth comparative analysis of Asian Ombudsman institutions to thereby reveal their organizational and functional diversity.
The study is organized in two main parts.  In the first part it starts with a comparative legal analysis, followed by 18 reports on the ombudsman - and similar public - institutions in different Asian states and regional entities, from Bahrain to Vietnam.
It thus provides an overview of the development of Ombudsman offices, their legal foundations, governance and mandates and further elaborates their multifaceted nature and diversity.

On the occasion of the 11th IOI World Conference in Bangkok, Thailand, the study was officially presented at the General Assembly.
The book has been published by Springer Verlag. IOI Secretary General Günther Kräuter is delighted to announce that negotiations with partner organizations for a continuation of the series in the African region is currently ongoing.