Reconciling after civil conflict increases social capital but decreases individual well-being

Abstract

Civil wars divide nations along social, economic, and political cleavages, often pitting one neighbor against another. To restore social cohesion, many countries undertake truth and reconciliation efforts. We examined the consequences of one such effort in Sierra Leone, designed and implemented by a Sierra Leonean nongovernmental organization called Fambul Tok. As a part of this effort, community-level forums are set up in which victims detail war atrocities, and perpetrators confess to war crimes. We used random assignment to study its impact across 200 villages, drawing on data from 2383 individuals. We found that reconciliation had both positive and negative consequences. It led to greater forgiveness of perpetrators and strengthened social capital: Social networks were larger, and people contributed more to public goods in treated villages. However, these benefits came at a substantial cost: The reconciliation treatment also worsened psychological health, increasing depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder in these same villages. For a subset of villages, we measured outcomes both 9 months and 31 months after the intervention. These results show that the effects, both positive and negative, persisted into the longer time horizon. Our findings suggest that policy-makers need to restructure reconciliation processes in ways that reduce their negative psychological costs while retaining their positive societal benefits.

Post‐genocide justice: The Gacaca courts

“…Critiques have suggested that the proceedings have increased levels of depression and Post‐Traumatic Stress Disorder among participants (Brounéus, ), and that participants were dissatisfied with the process (Pozen, Neugebauer, & Ntaganira, ). However, the presence of psychological stress is consistent with the findings of Cilliers, Dube and Siddiqi () who suggest that post‐conflict reconciliation may rebuild social capital while decreasing individual well‐being. Similarly, Doughty (2015) argues that, “divisive dynamics in gacaca do not merely reflect institutional failures but, rather, reflect the inherent violence of social repair.”…”

Trusting Former Rebels: An Experimental Approach to Understanding Reintegration after Civil War

“…Cilliers et al . () show, also in Sierra Leone, that reconciliation increases self‐reported measures of forgiveness and trust towards ex‐combatants among villagers. In the Ugandan context, we do not find evidence of mistrust or preference‐based discrimination in behavioural experiments, suggesting that these factors are unlikely to drive the employment gap observed among former soldiers.…”

“…In Sierra Leone, a survey of ex-combatants documents that increased exposure to violence is associated with reports of a lower community acceptance (Humphreys and Weinstein, 2007). Cilliers et al (2016) show, also in Sierra Leone, that reconciliation increases self-reported measures of forgiveness and trust towards ex-combatants among villagers. In the Ugandan context, we do not find evidence of mistrust or preference-based discrimination in behavioural experiments, suggesting that these factors are unlikely to drive the employment gap observed among former soldiers.…”

Colombian People’s Willingness to Forgive Offenses against Women Perpetrated during the Armed Conflict

“…Enduring resentment and feelings of revenge can only generate lasting unhappiness among affected parties. Promoting reconciliation at the national level (e.g., through Truth Commissions) can create the necessary conditions for a change in people's attitudes, but these collective efforts may have drawbacks (Cilliers, Dube, & Siddiqi, 2016;Twose, & Mahoney, 2015;Kpanake & Mullet, 2011). As a result, examining how former opponents in countries which have experienced bloody internal conflicts are able to personally forgive and to feel forgiven is not a futile exercise (Cárdenas, Páez, Arnoso, & Rimé, 2017;Gibson, 2007, López López, León Rincón, Pineda Marín, & Mullet, 2018.…”