ABSTRACT
Liberia's current form of economic growth can generally be characterised as a low-quality growth, resulting in social unrest and ultimately negative peace. The Liberian economy depends upon a constant inflow of aid and loans. Liberia was initially touted as the poster child of state-building. The Governance and Economic Management Assistance Programme (GEMAP) was heralded as a success story, qualifying Liberia's entry to the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative. GEMAP reduced political questions over ownership, distribution and rights to technocratic management issues. The political interference was even more apparent during the 2011 elections when the International Community (IC) openly endorsed the incumbent president. The 2011 election experience, which involved the intimidation of the opposition and escalated to electoral violence, further reduced citizens' confidence in electoral democracy. In Liberia, neoliberal economic policies continue to fuel historical grievances. Liberian state-building accepts neoliberal economic policies without further consideration of alternative economic policies or social development strategies.
