Lustration Systems and Trust

Evidence from Survey Experiments in the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland

Bibliographic Data

ID2222671
AuthorsSo Yung Choi (0000-0003-3879-2915, Chinese University of Hong Kong), Susanne Y P Choi, Roman David (0000-0003-3918-8584, Newcastle University)
Year2012
Volume117
Issue4
Pages1172-1201
Publication date2012-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Sociology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0002-9602 • E-ISSN: 1537-5390
PublisherUniversity of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1086/662648
OpenAlexW2005386535
LanguageEN
Citations received26
References cited67

Dealing with personnel inherited from prior regimes in the administration of transitional states is critical for democratic consolidation, a problem traditionally addressed by the dichotomy of continuation or dismissal. However, major organizational innovations to deal with tainted officials appear in postcommunist Central Europe. Using the concept of lustration systems, this study differentiates three archetypes: dismissal, exposure, and confession. The authors propose that each system carries different symbolic meanings, which produce different outcomes for citizens’ trust in government and in tainted officials. The hypothesized effects of different lustration systems on trust are tested by an experiment embedded in nationwide representative surveys conducted in the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland. The results show that dismissal and confession increase citizens’ trust in government and trust in tainted officials. However, exposure reduces citizens’ trust in tainted officials

Business · Confession (law) · Consolidation (business) · Czech · Democracy · Dismissal · Government (linguistics) · Political science · Politics · Accounting · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Law · Public Administration

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