Connections during Democratic Transitions: Insights from the Political Purge in Post-WWII France

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Aidt, Toke S.; Lacroix, Jean; Meon, Pierre-Guillaume
• 署名单位: University of Cambridge; Leibniz Association; Ifo Institut; Universite Paris Saclay; Universite Libre de Bruxelles
• 刊物名称: AMERICAN ECONOMIC JOURNAL-ECONOMIC POLICY
• ISSN/ISSBN: 1945-7731
• DOI: 10.1257/pol.20240411
• 发表日期: 2026
• 关键词: justice; judges; Dynasties; selection; COURT; POWER; BIAS

摘要

We examine how connections shaped transitional justice during France's post-WWII democratic transition. Parliamentarians who had supported the Vichy regime faced a two-stage purge process involving two courts. Using a difference-in-differences strategy, we find that law graduates-an influential group with ties to one of the courts-had a 10 to 14 percentage point higher acquittal rate. We analyze 17,589 documents in individual defendants' files to explain this difference. According to this analysis, indirect connections-connections through third parties-enabled transmission of information to the judges, highlighting how connected elite groups can navigate transitions despite institutional safeguards. (JEL D72, D83, K41, N44)