Scott Family Fellows: Views From Liberia
July 18, 2008
Reflections on Liberia
Posted by Rebecca Schutte at 04:01 PM
I recently returned to CGD after spending almost 7 weeks in Monrovia working in the Ministry of Finance. It was a great experience and I will quickly share some of my general impressions in this blog.
First of all, I was blown away by the physical beauty of Liberia. It is a verdant country with lush forests and gorgeous sand beaches. I was also struck by the sense of optimism and hope that the Liberians display even after enduring almost two decades of war, fear and hardship. Of course things cannot change overnight, but Liberia is on the move! I take that back… some things do change that quickly! On several mornings on the way into work, side roads previously riddled with deep potholes were literally repaired overnight! There were many construction projects, freshly painted stores and I even saw a billboard erected in the span of an afternoon.
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July 15, 2008
Déjà Vu after Nine Years: How My Devotion to a Foreign Sports Franchise Affects Me Daily
Posted by Norris Tweah at 02:38 PM
On 21 May 2008, Manchester United Football Club of England won the European Champions League trophy by beating fellow premiership rival Chelsea in a breathtaking penalty shoot-out after regular time ended in a 1-1 draw. That victory secured for United her third Champions League cup, having won her second in 1999. When United’s Dutch goalkeeper Edwin Van Der Sar saved a penalty from Nicolas Anelka, a French striker playing for Chelsea, I could not have been at a better place to celebrate than in a crowded video club steaming with body heat and sweat around the ELWA Junction area, in Paynesville, Liberia. This is a place where everyone is religiously devoted to one sport: FOOTBALL!
Admittedly, I thought United was going to lose when Cristiano Renaldo penalty was saved. And as John Terry, Chelsea’s captain, approached to kick his team fifth penalty, I stopped watching and called Andria, my wife, who was at home listening to live commentary on BBC. Andria and I agreed that it would be best if we watch the game apart. I often overreact in my United hysteria or despair. And then I wonder how I would face up to my friend Gray, a loquacious, United-hating-trash-talking Chelsea fanatic. Finally, I thought of the miracle of 1999, when United snatched victory from the jaws of defeat by scoring two quick goals in the space of two minutes against Bayern Munich, a German team. And then the miracle came—Terry missed!
April 02, 2008
Missing the One-Armed Man
Posted by Dan Honig at 11:30 AM
Yes, it's true, I'd like to be able to vacation in Vegas. But that doesn't seem like a good blog entry for CGD, so I thought I'd write about something else instead. Though if anyone's looking for a blackjack buddy and has the scratch for the short hop from Monrovia, give a shout ;-)
A few days ago, I was in one of Monrovia's nicer hotels, using the wireless internet to get some work done (by which I mean checking out all my buddies' facebook updates and reading stories on the NCAA tournament. I'm putting my Liberty on Izzo's boys as the sleeper pick).
I looked over at a dude a few tables over, and I could swear I recognized him - eventually I realized he was the husband of one of my colleagues, a truly wonderful woman who is really one of the engines driving things forward at the Ministry Finance. So I took a couple glances at him to be sure, then wandered over and said hello.
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March 27, 2008
Here's your chance to become a fellow in Liberia!
Posted by Rebecca Schutte at 06:39 PM
We have begun recruiting for the next round of Liberia fellows who will head out to Monrovia this summer! Are you a young professional with a Masters degree (e.g., an MBA, MPP, MPH, or a law degree) and one year of related experience, or a Bachelor's degree with at least three years of related experience? Are you flexible, energetic, willing to work long hours and do both influential and mundane tasks in a challenging environment with constrained resources?
The current Fellows provide support to senior Liberian government officials in the realms of policy, speechwriting, ministerial coordination and administration (particularly in areas related to economics and finance). You can read about their experiences on this blog. This round, we are recruiting at least one person with a background and interest in generating economic and employment opportunities for young women. Liberians are especially encouraged to apply!
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March 21, 2008
Stand Up and Be Counted
Posted by Dan Honig at 08:40 AM
March 21st: Today's a holiday here, not because it's good Friday, but because it's census day. Imagine how excited folks in the US would be if they got a day off for this!
The day, though, underscores the importance of data and the poor data environment in which the Government of Liberia, and its partners, operates.
A few months ago, I was meeting with a donor who said, essentially, "I'm concerned. This government's been in power 2 years and unemployment is still 85%!" Ignoring methodological concerns for the moment (are informal petty traders unemployed? What about subsistence farmers?) the simple fact of the matter is that this, as with many oft-quoted government statistics, is entirely a fabrication. Basically, if you got the right few people in the room once a month, you could change the official rate, based on no data whatsoever.
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March 07, 2008
Standing with Liberia's First Female President
Posted by Robtel Pailey at 11:49 AM
[This article was published in the Winter ‘07-‘08 Alumnae Magazine for Georgetown Visitation, an all girls’ college preparatory school in Washington, D.C. It is posted here in celebration of International Women’s Day, March 8.]
Once upon a time, I was certain I’d someday be Liberia’s first female president. It was a foregone conclusion in my mind.
I’d always had an affinity for the country that I’d left at the tender age of six, one year before a brutal civil war erupted. I believed that though I wasn’t in Liberia, Liberia was always in me. So why not go back and make broad-sweeping reforms in the country’s post-war state, I thought to myself.
I remember penning an overly ambitious biographical sketch for the Georgetowner in my senior year at Visi; the words just flowed like a stream of consciousness torrent. My teenage angst and romanticism had gotten the best of me, really, but I had a smidgen of hope that I could set the record straight—the Guinness Book of World Records, that is. I was certain that my tough exterior and sharp intellect would help me navigate and infiltrate the heavily masculine “all boys network” of African politics, or world politics for that matter. That was a 17-year-old’s wishful thinking.
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February 22, 2008
Conor Hartman Quoted in the Media (Again)!
Posted by Rebecca Schutte at 12:14 PM
In this blog posted by Kevin Corke, a NBC News White House Correspondent, Conor Hartman speaks about optimism and progress in Liberia.
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