This paper provides a broadly accessible overview of the truth commission phenomenon and the long-standing interest among academics, policymakers, activists, and affected communities to understand and anticipate their effects on societies emerging from periods of violence and repression. It highlights our lack of knowledge about what effects truth commissions have. In fact, recommendations are one of the missing links in a causal chain potentially connecting truth commission activity and a variety of outcomes that have frequently been associated with truth commissions. The paper further argues that understanding how truth commission recommendations are formed and implemented is important for understanding their potential impact.
