An Open-Source Methodology for Tracking Natural Resource Concessions in Liberia: Version 1.0
Date Published
Oct 1, 2016
Authors
Harsh Desai, Miranda Zhonghui Lv, Charles Perla, Brad Parks
Publisher
Citation
Desai, H., Lv, M.Z., Perla, C., & Parks, B. (2016). An Open-Source Methodology for Tracking Natural Resource Concessions in Liberia: Verison 1.0. Williamsburg, VA: AidData at William & Mary.
Abstract
In order to further research the conditions by which natural resource concessions contribute to Liberia’s economic growth, AidData has developed a geo-referenced database of more than 500 concession licenses in Liberia between 2004 (the end of the Liberian civil war) and 2015. Each license is geo-referenced as a polygon with more than 40 attributes, making this methodology's associated database (Liberia Concessions Geocoded Research Release, Version 1.0) a first-of-its-kind application of using open-source methods to comprehensively track, capture, and locate activities in the extractives sector. This methodology describes the data collection and geo-referencing process for this database in detail. For the associated AidData Working Paper, see Natural Resource Sector FDI and Growth in Post-Conflict Settings: Subnational Evidence from Liberia.
For a full list of methodologies, see Research Methods.
Funding: Generous funding for this project was provided by Humanity United, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the International Growth Centre.
