Lebanon : Promoting Poverty Reduction and Shared Prosperity
Lebanon’s political development since independence has been influenced primarily by its evolving confessional system. However, this system, originally established to balance the competing interests of local religious communities, is increasingly se...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Report |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2015
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2015/06/24663519/lebanon-promoting-poverty-reduction-shared-prosperity-systematic-country-diagnostic http://hdl.handle.net/10986/23102 |
| Summary: | Lebanon’s political development since
independence has been influenced primarily by its evolving
confessional system. However, this system, originally
established to balance the competing interests of local
religious communities, is increasingly seen as an impediment
to more effective governance as it has resulted in a
paralysis in decision-making and a general hollowing out of
the state. Lebanon’s confessional system has also proven
extremely vulnerable to external influence, which has bred
and exacerbated local conflict and violence. Subject to the
design of reforms that are incentive compatible with the
twin overarching constraints the following opportunities
could materially improve Lebanon’s development prospects: a)
reduce macro-fiscal vulnerabilities; (b) improve governance
and effectiveness of public institutions; c) address energy
gaps to increase productivity of the private sector and
reduce the macro-fiscal burden; d) strengthen ICT so Lebanon
is fully connected to the global economy and can develop
jobs needed in the 21st century; e) modernize the education
sector to ensure youth have skills relevant to employers; f)
improve the business climate to ease the burden on firm
creation and operation; g) increase investments in
transportation so people and products can move efficiently;
and h) address environmental issues to protect Lebanon’s
natural resources, including water. Reforms in these areas
must be tackled with a sense of urgency if Lebanon is to
generate the number and quality of jobs it needs for its
citizens and achieve progress towards the twin goals, to
avoid further deterioration in the well-being of citizens
and, importantly, to manage the added pressures stemming
from regional conflicts. |
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