Determinants of attitudes toward transitional justice: An empirical analysis of the Spanish case.

Source: (2011) Comparative Political Studies. 44(10): 1397– 1430.

Much has been said about the institutional determinants of transitional justice
(TJ), yet scholars still know little about the determinants of citizens’ attitudes
toward restorative policies aimed at addressing human rights violations of
the past. This article draws on an original survey of a representative sample
of Spanish citizens conducted in 2008. One year earlier, the Spanish socialist
government had approved the so-called Law of Historical Memory, aimed at
providing restitution for victims of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) and
the Francoist dictatorship (1939-1975). We analyze individual-level attitudes
toward a set of TJ policies (i.e., truth commissions, trials, and symbolic reparations)
in a comprehensive overview of the field. We study the effects of
different sets of variables: individual sociodemographic and ideological factors,
family and socialization variables, and context-related factors. Individual
ideology, family victimization during the dictatorship, and regional context
appear highly relevant in explaining individual attitudes toward TJ policies. (Author’s abstract)