Book Abstracts

The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership: Fiscal Challenges and Opportunities, Samira Atallah (ed.), 2000. (English).

This book focuses on the fiscal and socio-economic impact of adjustment measures that would have to be undertaken in Lebanon as a result of its Association Agreement with Europe. It includes a collection of papers which provide a thorough examination of the challenges and opportunities of trade liberalization in the context of Lebanese Fiscal policies and economic structures, especially as they relate to customs revenues, tax reforms, public subsidies, budget deficits, industrial development, and privatization.

Growth, Destruction and the Challenges of Reconstruction: Macroeconomic Essays on Lebanon by Nasser H. Saidi (author), 1999. (English).

This book is a collection of articles and essays on economic development in Lebanon during the years 1950 through to 1998. The essays and articles span the recent economic history of Lebanon, covering periods of relative prosperity, destruction, followed by years of transition and the onset of economic reconstruction. The essays survey the concequences of war and its adversity on the economy, and overviews the results of the destruction of Lebanon's social, physical, and political infrastructure, the disastrous effects on public finances and the public sector's ability to cope with the challenges of reconstruction, the resulting inflation, and currency depreciation.

The Lebanese Municipal Elections of 1998: The Travails of Democracy Within the Structures of Local Communities, Fares Abi Saab (ed.), 1999. (Arabic).

This book is a collective effort of several social, political, and legal researchers concerned with the election process in Lebanon. The book contains analytical studies on the sociological, legal, and political dimensions of the municipal elections. It represents a serious effort in analyzing the municipal electoral process, and highlights several socialand political factors that determine the behavior of voters and which affect the electoral process in Lebanon.

The Lebanese Judiciary: State Building and Institutional Development, Fares Abi Saab (ed.), 1999. (Arabic).

This book on the Lebanese Judicial System is a result of a Conference on: "The Prospects of the Judicial System in Lebanon" which was held in 1998. The book contains a main paper on the Lebanese judicial sector in law and in practice as well as a set of 16 thematic papers on different aspects of the judicial sector. Such papers include: the experience of the constitutional council, the role of the higher judicial council, the experience of tribunal courts, the appointment and transfer of judges, and others. The book also includes a number of appendices concerning the problems facing the judicial sector, as well as suggestions, and proposed laws on judicial reform.

The Power Sector in Lebanon: Challenges and Prospects by Mounir Yehia (author), 1999. (Arabic).

A monograph which presents a comprehensive outlook on the electricity sector, and provides an account of its financial, technical, administrative, and human resources aspects. Based on technical data and figures, the monograph provides a critical analysis of the sector's problems and presents reform proposals to modernize and develop it. It also summarizes the condition and future direction of the electricity sector in the developed countries, and looks at the sector's problems and financial and social effects in the developing countries.

The Distributional Impact of Taxes in Lebanon: Analysis and Policy Implications by Abdallah Dah, Ghassan Dibeh, Wassim Shahin (authors), 1999. (English).

A monograph on the impact of the 1993 tax reforms in Lebanon on different groups of the population. It provides an analysis of the effects of the direct taxes on income inequalities and an evaluation of the social and economic implications of the indirect taxes using the gasoline tax as representative case study.

The Economic and Social Impacts of Mobile Source Pollution on Public Health in Greater Beirut Area prepared by Salpie Djoundourian, Iman Nouwayhid, Farid Chaaban, 1999. (English).

A study which investigates the impacts of air pollution from mobile sources on public health in Beirut. The study addresses the seriousness of the problem of air pollution, its impact and its total annual cost on health in Beirut. The report also provides a set of technical, managerial, financial, and educational policy options for decreasing mobile source pollution

Income Distribution, Rate of Expenditure, and the Phenomenon of Poverty in Lebanon by Abdallah Dah and Hussein Hijazi (authors), 1998. (Arabic).

A monograph on the phenomenon of poverty after the war and its relation to income distribution, and expenditures. It also provides social and economic policies which could be adopted to decrease poverty.

National Dialogue on Agenda 1996 - 2000, Conference Proceedings Report, 1998. (Arabic).

This proceedings report is the result of a conference that aimed to establish and promote a three-way dialogue between the government, the various opposition groups and the experts on principle issues facing post-war Lebanon. The report contains presentations on such key issues as the future of democracy, decentralization and local government, the government's developmental strategy, poverty, the environment, regional peace, and the displaced.

A Framework for Reducing the Lebanese Budget Deficit, by Said Hitti, Kamal Shehadi, Rana Houry (authors), 1998. (Arabic)

A report which reviews the proposals for the 1998 budget, and presents a framework for eliminating the budget deficit over the four years 1998-2001.

Transparency and Accountability in the Provision of Public Services. Workshop Proceedings, 1998. (Arabic).

This proceedings report is the result of a workshop and a research project whose purpose was to assess the the quality of various public social and economic services delivered to citizens. The report consists of six research papers which describe different clusters of social and economic services provided by the state, and recommends reform policies that enhance transparency and accountability in the public sector.

The Partition of the Labor Union: April 24, 1997 by Issam al-Jurdi (author), 1998. (Arabic)

A monograph which examines the controversial elections to the General Confederation of Lebanese Workers (GCLW) that took place in April 1997. The elections were marred by interevention from the government which seriously cast doubt on the independence of labor. The author provides a detailed examination of the events surrounding these elections which led to the splitting of the confederation's leadership into two rival factions.

Industrial Safety on Occupational Safety in Lebanese Industry by Tannous Wadih Shalhoub (author), 1998. (Arabic)

The book underlines the need for reviewing and modernizing the occupational safety legislation, and the need for stricter enforcement of current legislation.

Legislative Elections 1996: The Crisis of Democracy, Fares Abi Saab (ed.), 1998. (Arabic)

A comprehensive book on the 1996 legislative elections. The book consists of two main sections. The first section covers the events and the results of the elections in the five electoral regions, and the second section covers the social changes in the framework of the parliamentary elections. The book also includes maps,graphs, tables, information about new deputies, a chronology of the elections, and legal and administrative documents concerning the elections. English Summaries of Chapters are available.

The Reality of Municipalities in Lebanon: Obstacles to Local Participation and Balanced Development, Fares Abi Saab (editor), 1998. (Arabic)

The book examines the condition of municipalities in Mount Lebanon, the South, North Lebanon, and Beirut. It also highlights the problems faced by municipalities in Lebanon, and analyzes the relationship between local bodies and the central government. The final chapter provides recommendations for legal and fiscal reforms, as well as ideas for providing training to municipalities in order for them to play an effective role in the provision of local services and development. The book also includes maps, tables and graphs.

Lebanon and Europe: Forging New Partnerships, Working Papers on the Formation of Joint Ventures Rosie Nasser and Thamar Kechichian (eds.), 1998. (English)

A report which includes a selection of five working papers on the formation of joint ventures. The papers were presented at an LCPS conference on the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership in 1997. The report also includes eight abstracts of papers presented at the conference.

Displacement in Lebanon: A Strategy for Return and Development by Kamal Feghali (author), 1997. (Arabic)

A report on policy toward the displaced in Lebanon. The report examines the status of the displaced after the war, and reviews the effects of displacement on Lebanese society. The report also addresses the general strategy for the return of the displaced and the role of the government in this strategy.

Towards an Environmental Policy in Lebanon by Naji Chamieh and Jihad Issa, 1997. (Arabic and English).

A monograph on environmental policy in Lebanon. It provides a description of the state of the environment in Lebanon, and addresses four interrelated environmental issues, namely, government policies and legislation, the role of the government and non-governmental institutions in developing and implementing policies, environmental laws, environmental management, and the financing of environmental projects. The book also provides recommendations.

The 1992-1996 Lebanese Parliament by Fares Sassine, 1997. (Arabic)

A book on the performance of the 1992-1996 Lebanese Parliament as the legislative branch of the government.

The Agriculture Sector in Lebanon: Analysis and Prospects by Toufiq Jaber (author), 1997. (Arabic)

A monograph which analyzes and assesses the performance of the agriculture sector in Lebanon. It also assesses the government's policies and initiatives which are geared to improve the agricultural sector, and facilitate sectoral development.

Budgetary Politics in Lebanon: A Memorandum for Public Discussion by Said Hitti, Kamal Shehadi, Wassim Shahin, Ghassan Dibeh (authors), 1997. (Arabic and English)

A report which reviews the proposed 1997 budget and analyzes key issues in Lebanon's public Finances and fiscal conditions

The Techniques of Electoral Fraud and Ways to Combat it by Tony Atallah (author), 1996. (Arabic)

A monograph which describes the fraud techniques used before and during the parliamentary election process. The monograph also provides recommendations to curb these violations.

The Labor Market and Labor Policy in Lebanon by Najib Issa (author), 1996. (Arabic)

A monograph which focuses on the needs of labor in Lebanon. These needs include: developing a national data bank on labor supply and demand by sector, region, and specialization, investing in the productive semi-skilled and highly skilled sectors of industry, agriculture, and services, as well as limiting the influx of foreign labor to reduce domestic unemployment.

Towards an Industrial Strategy for Lebanon by Elie Yashouie (author), 1996. (Arabic)

A monograph which provides a detailed account of the industrial sector in Lebanon. The industrial indications provided in the monograph underscore the absence of an official industrial policy as well as the lack of a clear strategy for Lebanon's economic development. The monograph also provides an account of the perogatives of an efficient strategy for industrial development.

Pathways to Integration: Lebanon and the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, Wassim Shahin and Kamal Shehadi,(eds.), 1997. (English)

A collection of papers presented at an LCPS conference on "Lebanon and EURO-Mediterranean Partnership". It is meant to inform decision making in Lebanon and clarify to the public the challenges and opportunities of integration with Europe.

Administrative Decentralization in Lebanon, Paul Salem and Antoine Messara, (eds.), 1996. (Arabic)

An analysis of the condition of decentralized administration and local government in Lebanon, and recommendations for reform.

A detailed and comprehensive study of the parliamentary elections of 1992. The book offers a unique source of data on and analysis of the first elections held in Lebanon since 1972.

The Citizen and Civic Education in Lebanon CCEL1994. (Arabic).

Lebanon's first postwar civic education textbook, with contributions from a team of twenty leading educators for use by students 14 to 15 years old. The book contains chapters on tolerance, dialogue, equality, justice, democracy, the state, the rule of law, human rights, the environment, the Arab League, and the United Nations.

The Citizen and Civic Education in Lebanon, Teachers' Guide by Adnan Al-Amin,with contributions from George Bitar and Sara Chahine Ammar, 1995 (Arabic)

The Teachers' Guide offers a method for teaching civic education, including teaching aides and strategies such as classroom exercises and case studies for discussion. The guide is especially designed to be used concurrently with the CCEL textbook.

Civic Education in the Arab World: Common Perspectives, Problems, and Potential Cooperation. Conference Proceedings 1995. (Arabic and English)

Proceedings of a two-day conference on Civic Education in the Arab World organized jointly with the International Management and Training Institute and held in Lebanon on September 2-4,1994.

A Study of the Needs and Opportunities for Skilled Workers in Lebanon, 1993.

The study was commissioned by the Near East Foundation (NEF). It describes the current status of the skilled workforce, identifies the skills most in demand in the market, evaluates relations between training programs and employers, and recommends priority actions by concerned agencies.

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