The Liberia Initiative's mission was to support research-informed policy making in Liberia. The Initiative focused on four core areas: Macroeconomic management, development planning, capacity building, and knowledge generation. The work was led by Associate Professor Eric Werker of Harvard Business School with support from Research Fellow Jasmina Beganovic and contributions from CID faculty, researchers, and students at Harvard University.
Since it was established in May 2010, the Initiative has achieved a number of milestones, including advising Liberia through the process of securing debt relief via the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative; supporting the government in articulating a medium-term development strategy; aiding negotiations with foreign investors; selecting and mentoring fellows that support senior government officials; organizing internships for more than 20 Harvard graduate students in various posts of government. Looking ahead, the Initiative will focus on publishing the lessons from Liberia, with a particular focus on patterns of private sector development in contexts of weak state capacity.
The Liberia Initiative was funded by the Open Society Institute.