This book focuses on the political economy of Liberian state-building, and in particular the question of the governance of natural resources. By combining a historical perspective and ethnographic knowledge, the author examines a number of interrelated questions: How was access to the state distributed in Liberian state-building? How are those to be governed and their representation included in political economic decision making, and more particularly, in decisions over natural resources governance? This book will be of interest to students and scholars of state-building, international development, African political science and political economy.