How do transitional democracies deal with officials who have been tainted by complicity with prior governments? Should they be excluded or should they be incorporated into the new system? In Lustration and Transitional Justice, Roman David examines major institutional innovations that developed in Central Europe following the collapse of communist regimes. While the Czech Republic approved a lustration (vetting) law based on the traditional method of dismissals, Hungary and Poland devised alternative models that granted their tainted officials a second chance in exchange for truth. David classifies personnel systems as exclusive, inclusive, and reconciliatory; they are based on dismissal, exposure, and confession, respectively, and they represent three major classes of transitional justice.
David argues that in addition to their immediate purposes, personnel systems carry symbolic meanings that help explain their origin and shape their effects. In their effort to purify public life, personnel systems send different ideological messages that affect trust in government and the social standing of former adversaries. Exclusive systems may establish trust at the expense of reconciliation, while inclusive and reconciliatory systems may promote both trust and reconciliation.
In spite of its importance, the topic of inherited personnel has received only limited attention in research on transitional justice and democratization. Lustration and Transitional Justice is the first attempt to fill this gap. Combining insights from cultural sociology and political psychology with the analysis of original experiments, historical surveys, parliamentary debates, and interviews, the book shows how perceptions of tainted personnel affected the origin of lustration systems and how dismissal, exposure, and confession affected trust in government, reconciliation, and collective memory.
Show moreHow do transitional democracies deal with officials who have been tainted by complicity with prior governments? Should they be excluded or should they be incorporated into the new system? In Lustration and Transitional Justice, Roman David examines major institutional innovations that developed in Central Europe following the collapse of communist regimes. While the Czech Republic approved a lustration (vetting) law based on the traditional method of dismissals, Hungary and Poland devised alternative models that granted their tainted officials a second chance in exchange for truth. David classifies personnel systems as exclusive, inclusive, and reconciliatory; they are based on dismissal, exposure, and confession, respectively, and they represent three major classes of transitional justice.
David argues that in addition to their immediate purposes, personnel systems carry symbolic meanings that help explain their origin and shape their effects. In their effort to purify public life, personnel systems send different ideological messages that affect trust in government and the social standing of former adversaries. Exclusive systems may establish trust at the expense of reconciliation, while inclusive and reconciliatory systems may promote both trust and reconciliation.
In spite of its importance, the topic of inherited personnel has received only limited attention in research on transitional justice and democratization. Lustration and Transitional Justice is the first attempt to fill this gap. Combining insights from cultural sociology and political psychology with the analysis of original experiments, historical surveys, parliamentary debates, and interviews, the book shows how perceptions of tainted personnel affected the origin of lustration systems and how dismissal, exposure, and confession affected trust in government, reconciliation, and collective memory.
Show morePreface
List of Abbreviations
Introduction
PART I. PERSONNEL SYSTEMS AND TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE
Chapter 1. Personnel Systems and Their Classification
Chapter 2. The Symbolic Meaning of Personnel Systems
PART II. LUSTRATION SYSTEMS IN CENTRAL EUROPE
Chapter 3. Lustration Systems and Their Operation
Chapter 4. The Origin of Lustration Systems
Chapter 5. The Politics of Lustration Systems
PART III. EXPERIMENTAL EVIDENCE
Chapter 6. Political Effects: Trust in Government
Chapter 7. Social Effects: Reconciliation and Collective Memory
Conclusion
Appendix A. The Dilemmas of Personnel Systems
Appendix B. The Experimental Vignette
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments
Roman David analyzes major institutional innovations devised in Central Europe to deal with officials tainted by their complicity with prior regimes. He examines the historical origins, social meanings, and political effects of personnel systems based on dismissal, exposure, and confession in the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland.
Roman David is Professor of Sociology and Social Policy at Lingnan University in Hong Kong.
"In addition to meticulously distinguishing between the different
personnel measures introduced in Poland, Hungary and
Czechoslovakia, the great strength of David's book lies in his
assessment of the meaning and consequences of bringing in
particular forms of personnel systems."
*Comparative European Politics*
"A ground-breaking exploration of lustration that provides a
much-needed overview of its application in Central and Eastern
Europe and delves into questions of the social impact of lustration
practices. David provides concise and informed policy-relevant
insights into the risks and potential benefits of three types of
personnel systems and prescribes reconciliatory systems for divided
societies."
*International Journal of Transitional Justice*
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