Events at CERGE-EI

Presenter: Camilo Gomez, a PhD student at CERGE-EI

Title: The Social Benefits of Participating in Transitional Justice: Experimental Evidence from Colombia

Abstract: This paper addresses whether participating in transitional justice reduces baseline discrimination against ex-combatants in post-conflict settings. I conducted an online experiment with a representative sample of Colombia’s adult population across several observable demographic characteristics (N=4,501). Following a within-subjects design, I manipulate recipient profiles in the Help-or-Harm task, varying their role in the conflict (i.e., FARC-EP ex-combatant or citizen) and participation in transitional justice for ex-combatants. I find evidence of baseline discrimination against ex-combatants. On average, participants allocated significantly less money to a baseline ex-combatant than to a rural citizen. However, when participation in the transitional justice is signaled in the ex-combatant profile, this baseline discrimination is reduced by 46%, whereas signaling their non-participation more than triple the initial discrimination. Furthermore, I find that participants perceive ex-combatants who have appeared before the transitional justice as more trustworthy, more moral, more regretful of their participation in the conflict, less wealthy, and less violent than those who have not appeared. These findings highlight the role of transitional justice institutions in promoting social reconciliation by credibly signaling ex-combatants’ commitment to peace and reintegration.

Link to join online: https://cerge-ei.webex.com/cerge-ei/j.php?MTID=m774b68badd56cad5a25843cf849dc015
Meeting number: 2740 056 6656
Meeting password: 677151