As part of our mission to disseminate policy research findings to decision makers, experts, and the wider public, this booklet presents facts and figures about municipalities and municipal unions which we hope will contribute to a better understanding of decentralization and local development in Lebanon.

The data presented include information about the roles and finances of municipalities and municipal unions as well as the legal, administrative, and financial challenges and constraints that they face in performing their developmental role. We have simplified the data and presented it in a graphical format, making it easy for anyone interested in local issues to understand and draw conclusions from. The production of this booklet in Arabic was made possible with the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). LCPS would also like to thank the National Endowment for Democracy for its contribution to producing the booklet in English.