Scholars have pointed to ethnic and other social divisions as a leading cause of economic underdevelopment, due in part to their adverse effects on public good provision and collective action. We investigate this issue in post-war Sierra Leone, one of the world’s poorest countries. To...

This Paper looks at the processes of trying to decentralize government since the wars stopped, and points to significant differences in the results thus far. It asks why the differences exist and what lessons can be learnt by the International community on how best to assist nations wishing to...

Since 1989, international efforts to end protracted conflicts in Africa, Latin America, and Asia have included sustained investments in the disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) of combatants from the warring parties. Yet, while policy analysts have debated the organizational...

The Bennimix Food Co. Ltd., established in 1989 is the only food company currently operating in Sierra Leone, a small country of six million people on Africa’s west coast. They produce Bennimix, which is a complementary porridge made of rice, sesame, pigeon pea, and sugar for children...

The objective of this paper is to provide a descriptive analysis of domestic work time in Sierra Leone using a 2003-2004 household survey that for the first time provides information on time use. Basic statistics on the time allocated to domestic work according to gender, age, urban/rural...