Youth violence and livelihoods on the forest edge: the Liberian Gola Forest and its environs as a security risk to Liberia and Sierra Leone

Applicant: Prof. dr. P. Richards (Wageningen University & Researchcenter)

Abstract
The Gola forest is a 'hot spot' for conflict, and is home to many ex-combatants (disenfranchised rural youths) that pose a potential security threat to both Sierra Leone and Liberia.  The upcoming elections in Liberia and the onset of a large employment effort (outgrowers scheme) imply a sense of great urgency. Collaborating with the Transboundary Forest Peace Park agency and the firm engaged in a large-scale employment effort (outgrowers scheme), we propose a randomised experiment with various treatments to analyse which interventions are best able to (i) neutralise the security risk implied by unemployed rural youth, and (ii) avoid elite-capture.