Governance efficiency in Lebanon: central vs. local government

Abstract

The objectives of this thesis is to offer contributions and solutions to the rehabilitation and reform of local government, the legislative branch (the Parliament) and the bureaucracy as the three essential vehicles entrusted to advance Lebanon's developmental goals. It displays the various experiences and efforts in fostering "good governance" in Lebanon especially as it relates to the empowerment of local authorities and fostering appropriate decentralization measures. This research is divided into five chapters. The first one provides an overview of the historical development of the lebanese bureaucracy along with related challenges. Chapter two reviews the practices and constraints facing local governments' development and the move towards decentralization. Chapter three examines the fiscal and administrative descentralization of municipalities and their implementation in light of the laws and decrees that govern the municipal sector in Lebanon. Chapter four deals with the existing relationship between central and local governments, the bottle necks and excessive oversights. Chapter five stresses the important role of the civil society in fostering good governance and calls for paternship between central authorities, local ones, non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) and civil society groups. In the conclusion, several steps and suggestion are offered to reach a higher and greater efficiency in governing. The methodology used is mainly qualitative relying on books, legal documents, newspapers, articles and sometimes personal interviews.