The risks of the international financial crisis for Lebanon

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interview to the Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar on 20th October 2008

 

The interview explores the effects of the international financial crisis on the economy of Lebanon and on the Arab economies. It examines the channels of influence, whether financial or linked to the migrant workforce.

It criticizes the prevailing ambiance in Lebanon, full of autosatisfaction and mutual congratulations, whereas the availabe respite should be used to consolidate an already fragile economic and financial domestic situation.

 

PDF - 143.3 kb
3 p. (in arabic)

Managing the Lebanese Public Debt in the context of an International Financial Crisis

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Conference in Beirut, January 12th 2009
12 January 2009

The Lebanese public debt is put in parallel with the US private debt, the management of which has long been praised as exceptional, through successive deferments and constant accumulation, but also with the flood of violence launched by Israel against Gaza, to signal the blocking of the two states solution, that has been so long nurtured, conference after conference, without the decision makers daring to take, in either case, the choices they were confronted with. Read more

Economic lexicon

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Series of articles monthly published (in French) in “Le Commerce du Levant”

8 December 2009

Series of articles monthly published (in French) in “Le Commerce du Levant” and selecting, in each issue, a term of the economic lexicon that is first defined with its economic, financial and social importance evocated in general, and the outreach and stakes of which are then illustrated in the Lebanese case.

Articles can be accessed through the « Le Commerce du Levant » website.

Or directly, in the following list:

  1. February 2007 Primary surplus
  2. March 2007 Current balance
  3. April 2007 Capital balance
  4. May 2007 Added value
  5. June 2007 Services
  6. July 2007 Productivity
  7. August 2007 The active population
  8. October 2007 Emigration (1)
  9. November 2007 Emigration (2)
  10. December 2007 Privatisation
  11. January 2008 Public debt (an introduction)
  12. February 2008 The International Monetary Fund
  13. March 2008 Monopoly and Competition (1)
  14. April 2008 Monopoly and Competition (2)
  15. May 2008 Taxes
  16. June 2008 Infrastructure, public investment and capital (1)
  17. July 2008 Infrastructure, public investment and capital (2)
  18. September 2008 Public Debt (1)
  19. October 2008 Public Debt (2)
  20. November 2008 Public Debt (3)
  21. December 2008 Real Economy vs. Financial System
  22. January 2009 The Banking Profession (1)
  23. February 2009 The Banking Profession (2)
  24. March 2009 The “Brain Gain” Theory (1)
  25. April 2009 The “Brain Gain” Theory (2)
  26. May 2009 The trade fairs
  27. June 2009 The fiscal heavens (1)
  28. July 2009 The fiscal heavens (2)
  29. August 2009 Tourism
  30. September 2009 Real estate and land economics
  31. October 2009 Pension systems (1)
  32. November 2009 Pension systems (2)

Background documents for the “National Physical Master Plan for Lebanon” (SDATL)

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September 2002

 

Macroeconomic framework

Reconstruction in Lebanon

Balanced development and the role of Beirut

Actors and procedures of urban development in Lebanon

Reconstruction of the Beirut Central District (1984-1986)

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1986

Synthesis document produced in the frame of the firm Oger-Liban in the beginning of 1986 on the reconstruction of Beirut Central District and kept confidential until now.

At that time, continuing the detailed studies and the field works had become impossible because of the deterioration of the security situation and the crumbling down of the state structure.

The document was produced to summarize and to preserve the amount of work produced by several teams of urban planners, architects, engineers and economists over more than three years so as to avoid their loss and the blurring of its main orientations.

The report presents the functional programming options for the Central District in relation with the idea of “recentering and reuniting the city”, it explicitly envisages for the first time the different legal structures available for the realization of designed objective and presents a detailed quantification and programming of the first phase as well as several scenarios for the further development.

Its reading is especially relevant in the perspective of comparing its programmatic and structuring proposals with what has become “Solidere”.

 

PDF - 14.4 Mb
156p. (in french)

Republic of Lebanon, Poverty review

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A World Bank Document
September 2000

This document was prepared by the CRI (Consultation and Research Institute sarl) with the World Bank ; it constitutes a systematic review of poverty issues in Lebanon :

  1. It calculates the poverty indices on the basis of the « UBN » (Unsatisfied Basic Needs ) method,
  2. It analyses the macroeconomic determinants of poverty
  3. It assesses the anti-poverty programs
  4. And recommends policies

Financing urban development and municipal resources, in relation to migrations, urbanisation and poverty

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ESCWA

November 2000

Research note presented to the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UN-ESCWA). It aims at setting a historical and economic framework for the debate on decentralisation and on the role of the finance of local authorities in the Middle East area.

It highlights the socio-political particular features of the area both internally (segmentation) and externally (the acuteness of the renewed confrontation between “the east and the West”) as well as the specific effects of the oil rents on socioeconomic regulation.

PDF - 491.9 kb
30 p. (in arabic)

Stakeholder Analysis and Social Assessment for the Proposed Cultural Heritage and Tourism Development Project

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November 2001

 

Framing document prepared in collaboration with the urban planner Ms Maha Yahya and “Information International” for the CDR and the World bank, in view of implementing a loan from the WB to promote the cultural heritage of five cities in Lebanon (Tripoli, Jbeil, Saïda, Sour and Baalbeck).

The report assesses the socioeconomic situation in the concerned cities as well as their assets in terms of cultural tourism and related activities, giving special attention to the distribution of interests at stake and to the consequences of the different possible forms of intervention.

The document became the reference for the later stages of the project that is presently being implemented.

  1. Index (277 Ko)
  2. Executive Summary (195 Ko)
  3. Conceptual methodology (151 Ko)
  4. Tripoli (2.2 Mo)
  5. Sour (Tyre) (1.5 Mo)
  6. Baalbek (1.4 Mo)
  7. Jbeil (Byblos) (1.6 Mo)
  8. Saïda (Sidon) (1.8 Mo)
  9. Appendices (200 Ko)

Reading of the 2001 budget

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December 2001

The 2001 budget is interesting because it is the first one prepared by Rafik Hariri’s team after his group won the 2000 elections against the faction led by President Lahoud and after the fierce critics against the “Financial Correction Program”. It was presented few weeks before James Wolfenson’s visit to Lebanon and his critics of the economic policies and the beginning of a creeping financial crisis that lasted until the Paris 2 Conference, in November 2002.

The budget includes, in line with the previous political announcements, fiscal cuts (tariffs and Social Security contributions) but its detailed analysis shows the strong continuity with the previous budgets and illustrates the considerable efforts devoted to accounting arrangements and financial acrobatics aiming at hiding the deficit.

 

PDF - 95.7 kb
8 p. (in arabic)

 

Programming and Assessment of the economic impact of the Cultural heritage Project in Jbeil-Byblos

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April 2002

 

  1. Programming of intervention (140 Ko – in english)
  2. Economic impact assessment (100 Ko – in english)

Report written during the second phase of the Cultural Heritage Project, in association with AAA (Atelier d’Architectes Associés) for the CDR and the World Bank.

It includes the programming of the operation (that is presently being implemented) and the evaluation of its impact on the local community and economy.