Liberia Flashcards
1
Q
How many organisations work in Liberia?
A
- 550 on different projects
2
Q
What role does bureaucracy play in Liberia?
A
- aid is directed/co-directed by different ministries
- some more effective than others
- results in some aid agencies working around them to deliver aid
- little coordination or oversight
- makes it harder for aid to be affective
3
Q
How long was the Liberian Civil War?
A
- 14 years
- ended in 2005
4
Q
What is the economic state of Liberia?
A
- 4/5th poorest country in the world
5
Q
Who have been the Presidents of Liberia?
A
- George Weah
- works on reduced salary
- was Christian and Muslim (appeals to both groups, uniting country under ‘One People’ banner)
- preceded by Ellen Sirleaf till 2018
- previously worked for WB and UN
6
Q
How has the implementation of aid changed in Liberia over time?
A
- LRDC (group of senior ministers) directed all spending of aid money until 2010. Reduced autonomy of aid agencies
- until 2010, president was more involved in where aid should be spent. Aid agencies are now able to spend as they please/as is required.
7
Q
What was the quality of aid given pre civil war?
A
- poor
- lack of coordination meant that aid was not suitable eg. Books but no libraries, fuel but no generators
- may have been a trigger for Civil War
8
Q
What sort of aid has been given to Liberia?
A
- multilateral aid (World Bank)
- bilateral aid (ChinaAid)
- NGO aid (Health Pool Fund)
9
Q
What has the World Bank done in Liberia?
A
- funded a 250km road from Monrovia to northern border
- cut journey times by 2/3
- farmers can sell cocoa crops more easily
10
Q
What has ChinaAid done in Liberia?
A
- constructed government buildings in Monrovia
- heavily decorated with Chinese flags
- PR for China
11
Q
What problems have there been with aid in Liberia?
A
-
corruption: 1900 ‘ghosts’ removed from education ministry payroll since 2015, aid agencies start avoiding government
- charities and education firms are withholding aid from schools as a result
-
lack of oversight and coordination: means that projects cost more than they should, rural areas are neglected by aid agencies
- eg. $44m/yr education budget but 1 USAid project alone costs $34m, USAid concentrates aid in urban northeast and Monrovia
- Civil service: jobs are given to former fighters instead of talented people to buy good behaviour
12
Q
What political problems are there with aid in Liberia?
A
- China heavily decorates it’s infrastructure in Liberia
- can make Liberian politics more China orientated
- WB doesn’t do this, local politicians and traders take credit for them
- can skew local elections, puts wrong people in power
- aid and politics are too intertwined
- public perception of politicians is linked with efficiency of aid provision rather than policies linked with self sufficiency
13
Q
Why do aid agencies neglect rural areas?
A
- harder to implement aid due to inaccessibility
- perception of impacts of aid are much stronger in urban areas as there are simply more people to feel it
- better for PR
14
Q
What role have NGOs played in Liberia?
A
- charities pay into Health Pool Fund
- $5m/yr in total
- used to pay for healthcare in rural parts of Liberia where aid agencies did not work
15
Q
What impact has aid had on Liberia?
A
- NGO aid has reduced mortality rate from 182 to 70 per 1000 people over 15 years
- Bilateral aid has resulted in construction of infrastructure
- female literacy rate has stayed at 34% as charities are no longer providing aid to schools due to corruption in education ministry
- has allowed democratic process to happen
- elections have occurred
- presidents have abided by term limits, giving incentive for political opposition to exist instead of going to war again to express concerns
16
Q
What role has military aid played in Liberia?
A
- UN Peacekeepers stayed for 15 years after Civil War
- 18 000 fighters disarmed
- Army was depoliticised
- run by foreigners rather than by ethnic groups, preventing conflict from erupting
- allowed for a stable climate in which aid could be delivered and implemented
17
Q
Why is the presence of peacekeeping forces important?
A
- Civil war can be perpetual
- 1/2 of all civil wars occur within a decade of another war due to instability in aftermath of previous civil war
- needed to kickstart economic growth for rebuilding by providing stability
- more important than politics
- presence of 15 years at least
18
Q
What is the importance of politics when rebuilding a nation?
A
- can reinforce patchy investment if not done well, creates internal divides based on physical geography
- needs to be good to create a labour force that is appealing to investors for further progress
- system needs to be robust to encourage losers to contest elections rather than fight
19
Q
What is the importance of donors in rebuilding a nation?
A
- it is up to TNCs/aid agencies whether they want to provide funds to a country
- poor governance and corruption can be seen as turn-offs and a barrier to profitability on any investment
- need to be shown that investment is working to continue investing
