National Truth Commissions Data on Mandates and Recommendations

This dataset documents 84 national-level truth commissions established between 1970 and 2018. It includes data on mandates and investigative powers for 74 commissions and data on recommendations for 55 commissions.

Use Cases

• Analyze variation in truth commission mandates and investigative powers across 74 commissions to model institutional design factors.
• Study the content and thematic focus of recommendations across 55 truth commissions to identify common policy priorities.
• Assess levels of recommendation implementation in Guatemala, South Africa, and Timor-Leste to evaluate post-commission follow-up.
• Model the adoption of truth commissions globally using data on 84 commissions established in transitional and non-transitional contexts.

Strengths

• Covers 84 truth commissions, providing a global scope.
• Includes detailed data on mandates and investigative powers for 74 commissions.
• Contains recommendation data for 55 commissions, enabling policy analysis.
• Data spans a 48-year period from 1970 to 2018, offering longitudinal perspective.

Limitations

• Implementation data is limited to only three countries: Guatemala, South Africa, and Timor-Leste.
• Data on recommendations is not available for all 84 identified commissions, only for 55.
• The dataset's structure and specific variables are not detailed in the provided input.

Provenance

Source

Zvobgo, Kelebogile; Kelebogile Zvobgo Dataverse.

Collection Method

Data compilation for the book 'Governing Truth: NGOs and the Politics of Transitional Justice'.

Time Range

1970 to 2018

Freshness

Last updated in February 2026.

Geography

Global, covering national-level commissions.