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1 - Reconstructing the Fragments

Liberia’s Economic History, 1847–1980

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 October 2022

Leigh A. Gardner
Affiliation:
London School of Economics and Political Science
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Summary

This chapter presents the first annual estimates of Liberia’s economic performance based on archival data since its declaration of independence in 1847 until 2000. A lack of easily accessible data has been one of the main reasons why Liberia has appeared so infrequently in comparative work in African economic history. The collection of data was a central component of imperial governance, and historians have relied on the legacy of those efforts; independent states had both different incentives and, often, lower capacity. However, this chapter shows that it is possible to reconstruct through qualitative records annual estimates of trade and government finances dating back to Liberia’s foundation. These estimates then form the foundation for the first series of historical national accounts which can be used to compare Liberia to other countries. They show the Liberian economy during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when many other African economies were growing. A period of rapid economic growth began during the 1930s, which continued for much of the next half century before a catastrophic reversal from 1980. This chapter sets the stage for the more thematic chapters to follow.

Type
Chapter
Information
Sovereignty without Power
Liberia in the Age of Empires, 1822–1980
, pp. 1 - 30
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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  • Reconstructing the Fragments
  • Leigh A. Gardner, London School of Economics and Political Science
  • Book: Sovereignty without Power
  • Online publication: 27 October 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009181082.002
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  • Reconstructing the Fragments
  • Leigh A. Gardner, London School of Economics and Political Science
  • Book: Sovereignty without Power
  • Online publication: 27 October 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009181082.002
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Reconstructing the Fragments
  • Leigh A. Gardner, London School of Economics and Political Science
  • Book: Sovereignty without Power
  • Online publication: 27 October 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009181082.002
Available formats
×