The LCPS hosted a workshop on February 23,1996, in which a research
associate of the center, Fouad Boulos, presented the findings of his study
on Lebanese water resources in the context of the multilateral peace talks.
The study was supported by the Canadian International Development Agency.
The paper reviews the water situation in Lebanon and indicates that Lebanon's dam system is deficient and unable to conserve Lebanon's water resources for agriculture or household use. In the conclusion, it is agreed, as it is by several participants, that if Lebanon pursues a course of fairly rapid development in agriculture, industry, and home water delivery, it will use up all the available water resources. This effectively precludes the possibility of exporting Lebanese water through agreements reached in the regional peace talks.
In cooperation with the Netherlands Organization for International Development
(NOVIB), and the Fares Foundation, and as part of LCPS' policy-oriented
research in the area of the environment, the LCPS organized and held a
one-day conference at the Riviera Hotel, on the 26th of February, 1996
on Lebanese environmental problems and policy options. The conference was
attended by over 60 experts, activists, and government officials. The roles
of the government, the local and international non-governmental organizations,
and environmental legislation and regulations in dealing and solving environmental
problems were the main topics discussed during the conference.
The key speaker was the member of the parliamentary subcommittee on
agriculture, tourism, and environmental affairs, and former Environment
Minister, Hagop Jokhadarian. Presentations were also prepared by Sana Sayrawan,
of the Department of Natural Preservation in the Ministry of Environment;
Abdallah Zakhia, of the Environmental Committee of the Lebanese Association
for Human Rights; Lamia Mansour of the UNDP; and Rif'at Saba of the Lebanese
Association for Environmental Protection.
The conference brought to the forefront and increased public awareness of the existing and increasing problems of the environment, and highlighted the need for development and reform of environmental policies and environmental management and monitoring.
Dr. Najib Issa, an LCPS research associate and professor of Economics
at the Lebanese University, prepared and presented a paper on Labor Policy
to a group of 40 economists, policy-makers, academics, and media representatives.
The seminar was held at the Carlton Hotel on the 3rd of April, 1996. Dr.
Issa' s study focused on three needs for labor : developing a national
data bank on labor supply and demand by sector, region, and specialization;
investing in productive semi-skilled and highly skilled sectors of industry,
agriculture, and services; limiting and controlling the influx of foreign
labor to reduce domestic unemployment, conducting retraining programs for
the unemployed or under-employed to orient them towards economic sectors
having higher demand; and restructuring the private and public educational
and vocational systems to enhance the chances of school and university
graduates being employed.
Discussions following the presentation emphasized the uncertainties
facing Lebanese labor after a regional peace settlement, in particular
the low cost of Syrian and Egyptian labor, and the higher skills of Israeli
labor. The discussions also revolved around the need to develop a short-term
plan in order to decrease the unemployment problem in Lebanon from its
current levels to something closer to 7-10%.
The study entitled "The Labor Market and Labor Policy in Lebanon"
was published in Arabic and was widely distributed to ministers, parliamentarians,
economist and members of the press. It includes the paper and the meeting
discussions.
The seminar is part of an on-going research and conference program entitled "The Lebanese Economic Tribune" (LET), organized by the LCPS and supported by the International Center for Economic Growth (ICEG) and the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE). The objective of the LET is to guide research, organize workshops and conferences, and provide information and analysis on key economic issues.
The LCPS held a conference on income distribution, class differences,
the government's social policies, and social security services in postwar
Lebanon, on June 7 & 8. Participants included an economic adviser to
the government, Marwan Iskandar, the vice-president of the Council for
Development and Reconstruction, Boutros Labaki, the director of the Social
Security Fund, 'Abd al-Halim Huraibi, the director of Central Bank Financial
Operations, Yusuf al-Khalil, as well as researchers, officials, deputies,
journalists, bankers, insurance managers, and others.
The conference was attended by over 80 economic and social analysts and researchers. The papers presented during the conference are published in LCPS' Journal, Abaad issue Number 6.
With support from the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and Economic Development
Institute (EDI) of the World Bank, the LCPS organized and held a two-day
international conference on "Lebanon
and Euro-Mediterranean Partnership". The conference was held at
the Riviera Hotel and was attended by over 150 officials, researchers,
experts, business people, and journalists. The conference came at a time
when the Lebanese government was negotiating the terms of a preferential
trade agreement with the European Union.
The conference was inaugurated by the Lebanese Foreign Minister, Fares
Buwayz, who was followed by Bernard Philippe of the European Commission,
who focused on the format of the Mediterranean association agreements,
and Robert Lawrence of Harvard University who concentrated on the nature
and variety of preferential trade agreements. Other participants including
Alan Winters and Ishac Diwan of the World Bank, Nasser Saidi of the Central
Bank of Lebanon, Nouhad Baroudi of the Council for Reconstruction and Development,
and Bassil Fleihan, advisor to the minister of finance, discussed the political
and economic framework of Lebanese EU relations; the impact of Euro-Mediterranean
partnership on the manufacturing sector and technology transfer; and the
challenges posed by a partnership to Lebanese exports, whether in terms
of competitiveness, industrial and agricultural norms and standards, insurance
and reinsurance services, or transportation. The conferees also discussed
the legal regulations of and obstacles to Lebanese-EU trade; capital investment
flows across the Mediterranean; and the development of financial markets
to handle and encourage efficient capital movements.
The conference sought to emphasize the need for rapid progress in Lebanese-EU negotiations in order to offset the risks and costs of delays in the regional peace process and the development of more open regional markets. The conference papers are published in a book entitled: Pathways to Integration: Lebanon and the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership. A selection of paper abstracts are available.
On the 8th of October, 1996, LCPS research associate, Dr. Toufiq Jaber
(Masters Degree in Agriculture Economics and Development and a Ph.D. in
Economic Development and Efficiency), presented a study on the challenges
facing agricultural policy in Lebanon to Ministry officials, leading agro-economists,
and representatives of agro-businesses. Dr. Jaber outlined the main characteristics
of the agriculture sector, identified its problems, described the government's
agricultural policies, and finally listed and suggested his recommendations
and policy reforms to improve its performance. In addition, Dr. Jaber touched
upon and described how the agriculture marketing system in Lebanon functions
and described the major factors affecting agricultural production and marketing.
Dr. Jaber concluded his presentation by making some recommendations
such as the encouragement of agricultural research and the improvement
of research methodology, the lowering of the production cost of agriculture
through extension services, and the improvement of the quality of the agricultural
product.
The discussions following the presentation centered around the problems
faced by agriculture and the means and measures which should be adopted
to improve the agriculture sector. It was agreed by all participants that
as a starting point , the agriculture performance could be improved by
studying the local demand which requires extensive research and the use
of modern research techniques. Some believed that the government's neglect
of the agriculture sector led to the widening gap between agriculture and
industry and between rural and urban areas. It was recommended that unless
the government provide more support for the sector it will perish and that
the government should play the role of the architect of a structural adjustor
and reformer rather than just a trader.
The research study entitled: "The Agriculture Sector in Lebanon:
Analysis, Prospects, and Policy Recommendations to Facilitate Sectoral
Development" will be published in April 1997.
The seminar is part of an on-going research and conference program entitled "The Lebanese Economic Tribune" (LET), organized by the LCPS and supported by the International Center for Economic Growth (ICEG) and the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE). The objective of the LET is to guide research, organize workshops and conferences, and provide information and analysis on key economic issues.
As part of an LCPS' institutional study, which aimed to examine the
formal structures of power and authority within the Parliament, a workshop
on "The Role of the 1992 - 1996 Parliament" was organized and
held at the American University of Beirut Alumni Association, on the 31st
of October, 1996. LCPS' research associate, Dr. Fares Sassine, presented
his study on the parliament to more than 20 academics, and deputies including
the former Speaker of Parliament; Hussein Al Husseini, Deputy Elie Frizli,
Deputy Kameel Ziade, Deputy Mohamad Fneish, Deputy Khalil al-Hrawi, Deputy
Na'ela Mouawad, and former deputy Issam Ne'man.
The study focuses on the external and internal relations of the parliament,
i.e. the separation of powers and the division of authority and the parliament's
role according to the new constitution, the examination of relations between
the executive and the legislative branch, as well as the process of decision-making
process.
The study along with the workshop proceedings were published in a 191-page monograph, in December 1997.
Key issues concerning the government's 1997 budget, were discussed in
a seminar held on the 8th of November, 1996, at the American University
of Beirut Alumni Association. The seminar was attended by a small group
of academics, business men, and government officials who discussed key
issues concerning the budget which include: deficit problem, debt standards,
expenditure revenue, taxation, and independent funds and their monitoring.
The paper reviews the proposed 1997 budget and uses it as a vehicle
to analyze key issues in Lebanon's public finances. The purpose of the
report is to stimulate informed public discussion and awareness of fiscal
conditions. It comes at a time when the government is facing difficult
economic choices and as Lebanon's public finances are coming under closer
scrutiny by foreign governments and international financial analysts. It
discusses the economic and financial situation of the country and compares
it with the pre-war and post-war period. In addition, the report discusses
and analyzes the fiscal developments during the last three years, and reviews
the government's 1997 draft budget. Briefly, the fiscal issues which were
emphasized upon in the report include: budget flexibility, waste issue,
expenditures prioritizing, comprehensive budgeting, foreign aid, taxation,
privatization, interest rates, assets utilization, and debt standards.
While the 40-page paper does not offer recommendations or solutions
to Lebanon's fiscal difficulties, it encourages reflection on a number
of issues and options presented for the consideration of policy-makers,
and it stimulates informed public discussion and increases public awareness
of fiscal conditions.
The four researchers who worked on the report include Dr. Said Hitti
(economist), the main author of the report, Dr. Ghassan Dibeh (chairman
of the Economics Department at the American Lebanese University), Dr. Wassim
Shahin (Dean of the School of Business at the American Lebanese University),
and Dr. Kamal Shehadi of the LCPS was the team leader.
The report entitled: "Budgetary Politics in Lebanon: A Memorandum
for Public Discussion" was published in the LebanoReport (Number 4,
Winter 1996). The report is published in Arabic .
The seminar is part of an on-going research and conference program entitled "The Lebanese Economic Tribune" (LET), organized by the LCPS and supported by the International Center for Economic Growth (ICEG) and the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE). The objective of the LET is to guide research, organize workshops and conferences, and provide information and analysis on key economic issues. The research and seminar were also supported by Economic Development Institute (EDI) of the World Bank.
With support from the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the LCPS organized
and held a two-day conference on December 6 -7 entitled: "National
Dialogue on Lebanese National Agenda of 1996-2000".
The conference assembled ministers and parliamentarians, academics and
various opposition members to discuss and assess the process of national
reconciliation and such key issues as the government's development strategy,
decentralization and local government, poverty, the on-going problem of
the displaced, and Lebanon's environmental problems.
The conference participants included the Minister of State for Finance,
Fouad al Saniora, the Minister of Social Affairs, Ayoub Humayyid, the Minister
of Environmnet , Akram Shuhayyib, the Minister of Administrative Reform,
Bishara Mirhej, representatives of ministries, as well as deputies Boutros
Harb, Zaher al Khatib, Muhammad "Itani, former deputies Fouad al-Sa'ad,
Pierre Helou, and a host of other politicians, opinion-makers, experts,
academics, and journalists.
The conference papers were published in a conference proceedings report.