Priority Reforms for the Government of Lebanon
This Policy Paper presents a menu of reforms that would enable the country to rapidly and significantly turn the page of inaction and decline and return the country to a prosperous and inclusive development path. To that end, reforms are prioritize...
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| Format: | Policy Note |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
Washington, DC
2017
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/438461495869364907/Priority-reforms-for-the-government-of-Lebanon http://hdl.handle.net/10986/27534 |
| Summary: | This Policy Paper presents a menu of
reforms that would enable the country to rapidly and
significantly turn the page of inaction and decline and
return the country to a prosperous and inclusive development
path. To that end, reforms are prioritized over two time
horizons—the first 100 days of the new Government and the
medium term. The immediate set of reforms suggested aim at
establishing a record of achievements and government
credibility that is currently sorely absent; without such a
clear statement, policymaking effectiveness will be limited.
They will also set the platform for the medium term. Failing
to move swiftly on reforms would not only damage the
credibility of this government, diminish its chances of
success during the upcoming elections, but would also
increase the already high level of skepticism that the
Lebanese people and the international community harbor when
it comes to Lebanon's capacity to take on serious and
transformational changes. In short, and contrary to some
wishes, the international community's engagement and
commitment to help Lebanon will hinge heavily on Lebanon
helping itself. The seeming end of a long political
stalemate offers Lebanon a unique window of opportunity to
mitigate impending risks and tackle longstanding and, by
now, pressing development challenges. This sense of urgency
is reinforced by a palpable deterioration in the quality of
public services, institutions, governance and the business
climate, to name a few. Macroeconomic risks and
institutional lethargy, have also been compounded by the
Syrian war, taking a toll on the economy, which, even prior
to the regional turmoil, exhibited significant shortfalls in
the provision of more and better jobs. Furthermore, the
influx of displaced persons from Syria (estimated at over
one million by UNHCR as of September 2016) has placed added
strain on Lebanon’s education, health, municipal and other
sectors, while exacerbating already notable subnational
inequalities. This Policy Paper presents a menu of reforms
that would enable the country to rapidly and significantly
turn the page of inaction and decline and return the country
to a prosperous and inclusive development path. To that end,
reforms are prioritized over two time horizons—the first 100
days of the new Government and the medium term. The
immediate set of reforms suggested aim at establishing a
record of achievements and government credibility that is
currently sorely absent; without such a clear statement,
policymaking effectiveness will be limited. They will also
set the platform for the medium term. Failing to move
swiftly on reforms would not only damage the credibility of
this government, diminish its chances of success during the
upcoming elections, but would also increase the already high
level of skepticism that the Lebanese people and the
international community harbor when it comes to
Lebanon's capacity to take on serious and
transformational changes. In short, and contrary to some
wishes, the international community's engagement and
commitment to help Lebanon will hinge heavily on Lebanon
helping itself. |
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