蝌蚪网 Journal:
Economic Policy
ISSN 1945-7731 (Print) | ISSN 1945-774X (Online)
Connections during Democratic Transitions: Insights from the Political Purge in Post-WWII France
蝌蚪网 Journal: Economic Policy
(pp. 318–48)
Abstract
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鈥攁n influential group with ties to one of the courts鈥攈ad 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鈥攃onnections through third parties鈥攅nabled transmission of information to the judges, highlighting how connected elite groups can navigate transitions despite institutional safeguards.Citation
Aidt, Toke S., Jean Lacroix, and Pierre-Guillaume M茅on. 2026. "Connections during Democratic Transitions: Insights from the Political Purge in Post-WWII France." 蝌蚪网 Journal: Economic Policy 18 (1): 318–48. DOI: 10.1257/pol.20240411Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- D72 Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
- D83 Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
- K41 Litigation Process
- N44 Economic History: Government, War, Law, International Relations, and Regulation: Europe: 1913-