Synopses & Reviews
Since 1945, over 200 intrastate conflicts have taken place in countries that achieved independence from colonial rule after the Second World War. The case of Lebanon offers a striking illustration of these interlocking influences on projects of national economic development. The persistently sectarian nature of the country's political institutions, the relatively poor quality of governance, and the major civil war that engulfed the country from 1975 to 1990, together define not only the context in which the achievements and failures of Lebanese development must be assessed, but also the continuing challenges that it must face in the era of globalization. This book gives an in-depth analysis of Lebanese economic development during the second half of the twentieth century with special emphasis on the civil war and its aftermath. Makdisi offers a definitive assessment of the principal phases of national development since Lebanese independence in the 1940s, and a study of those conditions requisite for sustainable development for Lebanon, as for many other developing countries.
About the Author
Samir Makdisi is Professor of Economics, Chair of the Economics Department and Director of the Institute of Financial Economics at the American University of Beirut (AUB). He has served as Lebanon's Minister of National Economy and as Deputy President of AUB. He is presently a member of the Governing Board of the Global Development Network.
Table of Contents
Introduction * The Period Preceeding the Civil War: Relative Economic Stability Growth, Socio-Economic Gaps and Underlying Political Instability * The Political Environment * Economic Performance: Quantitative Aspects * Socio-Economic Development: Qualitative Gaps * A Summary Overview of Development Until 1975 * Lebanon on the Threshold of Civil War * The War Period, 1975-1990: Resiliency Versus Fragmentation * Introduction: The Phases of the Civil War * On the Causes and Duration of the Civil War: Economic Versus Noneconomic Factors * The Political/Military Environment and the Constraints in National Economic Performance: A Summary View * Economic and Financial Performance: Impact of the War and the National Response * Reflections on the War Period * The Attempted Reconciliation" The Taif Accord * The Post War Period: Aspirations vs. Reality * Political Background, Growth and Macroeconomics * Introduction Remarks * The Political Context: A Brief Overview * The Macro-Economic and Financial Situation * The Post War Period: Aspirations vs. Reality * Labor, Social and Developmental Issues * Labor Market and Wage Policy * Fundamental Issues of Development: Political Governance and the Socio-Economic Dimension of Development * Aspirations vs. Reality: The Lop-Sided Development * Lebanon, Development and Globalisation: Concluding Reflections * Successes and Failures of Lebanon's Development * Domestic Conditions for Viable Long Term Reform * Lebanon and the Global Economy * Lebanon and Small Open Developing Countries * Final Comment * List of Charts * List of Appendix Tables