Reaching out to the Diaspora: The Liberian State’s Formulation of a Diaspora Engagement Policy

Abstract

Over the past three decades, Liberia has experienced numerous power and policy shifts that have impacted Liberians living in the USA. After 2005, the democratically elected government in Liberia began actively encouraging the involvement of the diaspora in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission process and as financiers of the rebuilding effort. Even as the 2014 Ebola epidemic crippled the nation, Liberia pursued significant initiatives aimed at engaging the diaspora. This chapter examines migration and diaspora engagement policy from the Liberian side, detailing the Liberian state’s role in creating a transnational space and a transnational citizen identity for Liberians in the diaspora.