Macro versus Micro Justice and Perceived Fairness of Truth and Reconciliation Commissions

Two studies explored the impact of micro justice (individual focus) and macro justice (societal focus) on perceptions of fairness within the context of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in South Africa. All participants read and listened to a detailed description of the TRC and were asked to judge the fairness of the overall process and components of the TRC. In Study 1 participants were given a writing task that primed micro-versus macro-level processing, whereas in Study 2 they were asked questions framed at either a micro or macro level. In both studies participants in the micro-justice condition perceived the TRC as less fair than those in the macro-justice condition. The paper includes a brief review of a field study that explored perceptions of justice in Rwanda that inspired the current research. Implications of micro-versus macro-justice perspectives for studying fairness and promoting reconciliation in post-and current-conflict societies are discussed.