More than money: The political consequences of reparations

Abstract

After political violence, many states compensate victims as part of their approach to transitional justice. Do material reparations change political participation? I argue that receiving material reparations can increase political engagement. I use a multi-method approach to show that surviving victims of the Pinochet dictatorship in Chile who receive a material reparation are more likely to register to vote after being compensated. I substantiate this claim through content analysis of victim testimonies, qualitative interviews, and causal estimates that exploit exogenous variation in the timing of reparations. I find that reparations are capable of persuading resistant populations to engage in politics. Additionally, my results suggest that the noneconomic component of reparations payments is particularly valued by recipients, as victims use this transitional justice experience to update their views about the state. In particular, victims value the acknowledgment attached to compensation and the consistency with which their payments are received. These findings suggest that analyses of the consequences of violence should account for experiences with transitional justice policies. From a policy perspective, the results are important for societies implementing transitional justice policies in the hopes of achieving long-lasting peace and preventing reversions to violence.

Social Cohesion, Economic Security, and Forced Displacement in the Long-Run: Evidence from Rural Colombia

“…More than half of IDPs in our sample do eventually return to their place of origin, and among those, the most common motivations for return are economic and social. Notably, almost no one in our sample listed state assistance as a factor facilitating return, which speaks to persistent low state capacity in redressing wartime victims (Voytas, 2021). Return for many is also a long process: the median victim who returned home did so after five years, but many spend much longer.…”

“…One clear avenue for future research is work that identifies the determinants of IDP return, particularly research that distinguishes between the desire and ability of IDPs to return (Arias, Ibáñez and Querubin, 2014;Camarena and Hägerdal, 2020). Another avenue is to explore how IDPs navigate post-conflict programs and policies related to victim's reparations and restitution (Voytas, 2021;Steele et al, 2021). Even if such programs are key to rebuilding after war, their impact will be limited if IDPs face significant barriers to uptake.…”

“…Some recent contributions to this topic are:Vinck and Pham (2009),Camarena and Hägerdal (2020),Schwartz (2019),Ghosn et al (2011), andFakhoury (2021).13 Some recent exceptions look at the political effects of receiving reparations(Voytas, 2021;Steele et al, 2021).…”

State violence and participation in transitional justice: Evidence from Colombia

“…Exclusion from transitional justice can also have downstream consequences. For example, the receipt of com-pensation has been linked to changes in political engagement (Voytas, 2021). More broadly, this research highlights an ongoing need to disaggregate and deconstruct 'victimhood' when considering the legacies of violence and pathways to enduring peace.…”