Weighing the Costs of Accountability: The Role of Institutional Incentives in Pursuing Transitional Justice

摘要

In this manuscript I challenge the central argument that transitional justice in post-repressive states is largely a function of the relative power of new versus old elites. I argue instead that a new regime's will to pursue transitional justice is closely linked to its capacity to provide goods and services expected by voters, and that institutional variation plays an important role in determining how this process plays out. The mechanisms that post-oppositionists utilize to enhance their long-term political viability depend primarily on institutionally determined reward structures, which should also determine support and opposition to a given justice policy. I evaluate this argument with an in-depth examination of elite perceptions concerning transitional justice policies in two diverse post-communist states: Poland and Serbia.