When compared to political revolutions, it has never been exactly clear what economic revolutions entail nor how long they take. But it is clear that these economic revolutions combine multiple change and adaptation processes, whether one talks of periods of fundamental economic transformation as “revolutions,” beginning with the first agricultural revolution in the fertile crescent…
A potentially important step toward a new social contract
As a democracy, Lebanon has a sovereign. This sovereign—which the constitution affirms to be the people of Lebanon—has, for the longest time, appeared remarkably unconcerned over a very specific dereliction of duty by its public officials. The dereliction in question was the government’s serial failure to produce a sane, credible, and timely budget, and the…
Banks have done a lot for Lebanon, they deserve our trust
Banks have offered much to Lebanon. They have financed the country’s public and private sector needs for the entirety of the post-conflict years. They stood throughout the 1990s with a people scarred by violence and economic trauma. Through the 2000s, they stayed at the side of a state that was under constant financial pressures. In…
Freshwater sites need to be protected and promoted
Various stakeholders—from the current and previous ministers of tourism and heads of hospitality-related syndicates to restaurant operators and local retail business owners—have all said that tourism was a main driver of the Lebanese economy. Speaking at a March conference on tourism entitled “Towards Sustainable Tourism,” Prime Minister Hariri said he believed that the total contribution…
Economic Roadmap
Building on the first draft of the economic roadmap published in the December 2018/January 2019 issue of Executive, this second draft includes an additional 261 measures and three entirely new national priorities that address judicial reform, labor, and how best to preserve national heritage. As was the intent from the beginning, we took a participatory…
An uninspiring economic vision
In January, Lebanon published slides outlining McKinsey’s economic vision—the outcome of a report commissioned by the Ministry of Economy and Trade in late 2017 following government discussions. The 1,274-slide document was developed over the first half of 2018, and outlines an economic vision produced by the consulting firm and owned by the government. If…
Opportunites for new startups abound
Near the center of Beirut sits the heart of Lebanon’s startup ecosystem, the Beirut Digital District. It is mainly here that Lebanon’s entrepreneurs gather to pitch and develop solutions to problems that are uniquely Lebanese, and others that are less so. The country’s entrepreneurship ecosystem today faces challenges that are not insurmountable, and there are…
Lebanon in need of a housing policy
There is a perception among Lebanese that the state is unresponsive to the needs of the public—it’s easy to understand why people might think that. For much of their thrice-extended mandate, from 2009 until May’s parliamentary elections, lawmakers neglected to legislate, the presidency was vacant for two and a half years, and laws that were…
Healthcare sector in Lebanon carrying its own, but still in need of coordined development
If Lebanon were to visit a doctor for a head-to-toe physical, she might leave the appointment with a few prescriptions in hand. A check up on the overall robustness of the nation’s health infrastructure would show the vital signs of the country’s health sector as generally good, albeit with some lingering concerns, such as reports…
It starts with you
A driver throws a sandwich wrapper from his car window onto the street. A pedestrian casually tosses an empty plastic bottle into the sea during his daily morning walk on the Corniche. A family enjoys a lovely day picnicking on the beach or in the mountain and thinks nothing of leaving their trash behind. These…