Reconciliation or Retribution?: The Effect of Truth Processes on Perceived Fairness and the Legitimacy of Law

本研究的目的是检验南非法律制度合法性与报复性正义欲望之间的假设。基于对大众的调查，民意调查将评估真相与和解进程对大众对正义的看法、对关键法律和政治机构的支持、对法治的态度，以及最终对合法行为和默许决策机构产出的意愿的影响。该项目的一个重要组成部分涉及将“社会认同理论”（SIT）与合法性和报应正义理论联系起来。最近的研究表明，身份在决定感知到的不公正的后果方面起着至关重要的作用。南非的种族/语言/民族多样性为检验这些假设提供了良好的背景。西方的经验教训不太可能轻易地转化为像南非这样的转型和传统社会。因此，这项研究将提供对不公正破坏法律合法性的方式的更一般的理解。最终，这项研究应该提供对正义和不公正的看法如何影响民主转型的巩固的见解。

The purpose of this research is to test hypotheses connecting the desire for retributive justice with the legitimacy of South African legal institutions. Based on a survey of the mass public, the PI will assess the implications of the truth and reconciliation process for mass perceptions of justice, for support for key legal and political institutions, for attitudes toward the rule of law, and ultimately for lawful behavior and willingness to acquiesce to outputs of policy-making institutions. An important component of this project involves connecting "Social Identity Theory" (SIT) with theories of legitimacy and retributive justice. Recent research has posited that identity plays a crucial role in determining the consequences of perceived injustice. The racial/linguistic/ethnic diversity of South Africa provides a good context for testing these hypotheses. It is unlikely that the lessons of the West readily translate into transitional and traditional societies like South Africa. This research will therefore provide a more general understanding of the ways in which injustice undermines the legitimacy of law. Ultimately, this research should provide insight into the ways in which perceptions of justice and injustice affect the consolidation of democratic transitions.