Truth and reconciliation commissions (TRC) have become a widely used practice in post-conflict settings in order to break cycles of violence and to restore peace. Surprisingly, despite the popularity of this institution, little is known on the causal effect of TRCs on peace-building. We propose to fill this gap by evaluating the causal effects of exposure to one of the most influential TRC in history — the TRC instituted in post-apartheid South Africa — on various measures of peace-building and reconciliation. Based on the widespread TV coverage of the TRC hearings, we link village-level variation in exposure to the TRC TV broadcasts to a host of measures related to peace-building, violence, trust, intergroup contact, and political identity. The conclusions of this project will help building a stronger understanding of the efficacy of reconciliation policies similar to the ones promoted by the TRC also in contexts different from South African apartheid

About the Presenter

Thomas Gautier is a postdoctoral researcher at the Kiel Institute (Germany). His research interests are in development economics and political economy. In his current work, he explores topics related to forced migration, civil conflicts, and social cohesion

Hybrid Seminar
Zoom Meeting Details
Meeting ID: 961 6426 4328
Passcode: 891174