Connections during Democratic Transitions: Insights from the Political Purge in Post-WWII France
American Economic Journal: Economic Policy · 2026 · Toke Aidt、Jean Lacroix、Pierre-Guillaume Méon
中文摘要
我们考察了关系网络如何影响法国二战后民主转型期间的转型正义。曾支持维希政权的议员面临涉及两个法院的两阶段清洗程序。运用双重差分策略，我们发现，法律专业毕业生——这一与其中一个法院有联系的有影响力群体——获判无罪的比率高出10至14个百分点。为解释这一差异，我们分析了被告个人档案中的17,589份文件。分析表明，间接关系——即通过第三方建立的联系——促成了信息向法官的传递，这凸显出即便存在制度保障，有关系网络的精英群体仍能在转型中游刃有余。（JEL D72、D83、K41、N44）
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—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)