Modernization Development and Law : Gino Germani's Contribution to a Sociology of Justice in a Global World

The problem of development in a globalised world has become the most significant challenge of the new century. Sustainable development is increasingly seen as social change respectful of the environment and the requirements of present and future generations; in this framework an essential role is played both by the law as an instrument for the implementation of justice in social relations and by human rights as a form of protection for the individual. Sociology, and in particular legal sociology, can offer an important contribution to the understanding of the process that has led to the establishment of modern industrial society and to the present phase of radical modernity in a globalised world.