How to foster growth in post-conflict settings? Evidence from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Post-Apartheid South Africa

Truth and reconciliation commissions (TRC) have become one of the most widely used practice in post-conflict settings in order to break cycles of violence and to restore peace. The ultimate goal of TRCs is to spur economic recovery and sustained growth by improving intergroup relationships, improving trust toward the government, and decreasing security risk. We evaluated the efficacy of TRCs on post-conflict recovery and economic development by studying one of the most influential TRC in history with causal methods – the TRC instituted in post-apartheid South Africa. The conclusions of this project will help build a stronger understanding of the short- and long-run effects on the economy of TRC-like interventions through their impact on reconciliation and trust building.

The project was supported by CEPR (STEG grant) and UNU-WIDER.