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

0004436威德纳这篇论文增强补助金支持美国研究生大卫贝克尔先生在密歇根大学政治学系詹妮弗威德纳教授的指导下工作，进行案例研究，评估真相与和解委员会如何以及在何种条件下真相与和解委员会是正在经历民主过渡的国家普遍使用的。 这些委员会对个人对新民主制度和做法的忠诚是否有任何直接和实质性的影响，无论是积极的还是消极的？ 目前，许多学者和实践者对这些委员会的有效性存在分歧。贝克尔将对南非真相与和解委员会（TRC）进行案例研究，以确定参与和参与其进程的机会是否为南非新出现的民主机构提供了支持。 真相与和解委员会强调中立性（例如，对种族隔离政权和反对派的侵权行为给予平等地位）、公开性和透明度，其程序通过媒体和官方报道予以公布。 因此，很大一部分南非成年人参加或了解真相与和解委员会的工作。 通过民族志研究，社区研究，焦点小组，证词评估和调查，贝克尔将评估两种模式的政治支持，一个是集中在公众对真相与和解委员会进程的合法性的看法，第二个嵌入在更广泛的背景下，对南非的新兴民主的承诺的第一个模式。 每个模型都有四个解释变量：1）缓解因素，如意识，参与和政治关系和程序的投影图像; 2）政策满意度; 3）替代解释; 4）控制变量，如年龄和性别。 受试者必须是真相与和解委员会进程的参与者，关注媒体对会议进程的报道，和/或阅读真相与和解委员会发布的正式文件。 这些结果应提供重要的知识，说明这些委员会在履行其指定职能方面可能取得多大的成功。 Hugo货车der Merwe博士和暴力与和解研究中心（附属于威特沃特斯兰德大学）的其他人将就该项目向Backer先生提供指导。 研究结果可望为民主化和过渡时期司法的研究提供宝贵的资料。 研究人员和政府官员还将获得有关真相与和解委员会对南非民主过渡的影响的重要知识。 该项目还将支持一个优秀的研究生的职业生涯非常早期的国际研究经验。 这项赠款是由国际方案司和社会和经济科学司共同资助的。

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.