Lef-Briefing Note#1 Post Ebola Macro-Economic Policy Advisory-Liberia

LEF Policy Note#1: 06 December 2014

Short-term (0-12 Months) Policy Recommendations:
To Stimulate Post-Ebola Macro-Economic Activities
On 7th August 2014, immediately after the President declared the State of Emergency, we
provided our analytical opinion on the measure and predicted the socio-economic and sociopolitical implications that both the “state of Emergency” and Ebola could have on the economic
and political spheres of Liberia. Key amongst our predictions included:
Socio-economic perspective:
1. Slow economic activities as investment decisions will favor a downward trend.
2. Weaken the national fiscal ability to respond to the crises as government revenues will
dwindle especially as fiscal space shrinks more and more.
3. Steepen unemployment, worsening economic vulnerability and restraining the people's
level of preparedness to build the much needed national resilience and narrowing the
coping mechanism options.
4. Heighten the propensity for crime and lawlessness in time as people become more and
more vulnerable by the circumstances. And
5. Likely increase the external aid regime based upon the degree and severity of the
national vulnerability.
Socio-political perspective:
1. Either strengthen national solidarity in building a common and united front at fighting
this national disaster evident by the visibility of political leadership or weaken the
resolve of the people to fight when they feel that certain of their rights and access to
basic livelihood are threatened.