Final answer:
Governance is the term that refers to the systems and processes ensuring legal compliance and adherence to societal norms, which is closely related to the concept of the rule of law, where laws are enacted to protect rights and are applied fairly and equally to all.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term that describes a system of rules and processes put in place to ensure adherence to laws, rules, norms, and social codes of conduct is governance. Governance encompasses the mechanisms, processes, and institutions through which citizens and groups articulate their interests, exercise their legal rights, meet their obligations, and mediate their differences. Rule of law is a critical aspect of governance, which is the process of enacting laws to protect individual and entity rights. This includes the use of property, ensuring that laws are clear, public, fair, enforced, and applicable to all members of society. Furthermore, governance is tied with the idea of accountability, where government and private actors are accountable under law, and there is an insistence on just laws, open government, and adherence to cultural rules that govern social life.