US-South Africa Dissertation Enhancement: Assessing the Impact of Transitional Justice on Democratic Legitimacy--A Case Study of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

0004436WidnerThis dissertation enhancement grant supports a US graduate student, Mr. David Backer, working under the guidance of Professor Jennifer Widner, of the Department of Political Science at the University of Michigan, to conduct a case study to assess how and under what conditions the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) has influenced support for South Africa's transition to a democracy.Truth and reconciliation commissions are commonly being used by countries undergoing a democratic transition. Do these commissions have any direct and substantial effects, either positive or negative, on individuals' loyalty to the institutions and practices of a new democracy? Currently many scholars and practitioners are in disagreement about the effectiveness of these commissions. Backer will conduct a case study of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) to determine whether or not the opportunities for participation and engagement in its processes generated support for the newly emerging democratic institutions in South Africa. The TRC stressed neutrality (exemplified by the equal status accorded to abuses by the apartheid regime and the opposition), openness, and transparency, and its proceedings were made public through media offerings and official reports. Thus a large segment of South African adults either participated in or knew about the TRC process. Through ethnographic research, a community study, focus groups, testimony evaluation, and surveys, Backer will evaluate two models of political support, one that focuses on public perceptions of the legitimacy of the TRC process, and the second which embeds the first model within the broader context of a commitment to South Africa's emerging democracy. Each of these has models four explanatory variables: 1) mitigating factors, such as awareness, participation, and projected images about political relations and procedures; 2) the level of policy satisfaction; 3) alternative explanations; and 4) control variables, such as age and gender. Subjects will have been participants in the TRC process, followed media reports of the proceedings, and/or read the official documents released by the TRC. The results should provide important knowledge on how successful these commissions are likely to be in performing their assigned functions. Dr. Hugo van der Merwe and others at the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (affiliated with the University of Witwatersrand) will provide guidance on this project to Mr. Backer. The results are expected to provide valuable information for the study of democratization and transitional justice. Researchers and government officials will also gain important knowledge about the impact that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has had on South Africa's democratic transition. The project will also support an international research experience very early in the career of an outstanding graduate student. This grant is being jointly funded by the Division of International Programs and the Division of Social and Economic Sciences.