The role of municipal communication and citizen engagement in the reinforcement of trust in local authorities in Lebanon

Abstract

Municipalities are in direct contact with their communities, delivering basic services and ensuring safety and security within their jurisdiction, and they are at the forefront of the response to crises. While it is imperative to understand the potential of municipal communication in bridging the trust gap between the state and citizens to improve functionality and social stability, there is a dearth of such studies in Lebanon. This study becomes even more pertinent considering that it comes at a time when Lebanon is facing multiple crises including an unprecedented economic and financial collapse. Through the lens of the Theory of Citizen Participation and the commitment-trust relationship theory, this qualitative research, therefore, explores the impact of municipal communication approaches on the relationship and trust between citizens and their local governments before and after the uprising of October 17, 2019 in Lebanon. Following a descriptive analysis of the official municipal Facebook pages of four major cities in Lebanon, namely Beirut, Tripoli, Saida, and Nabatieh, between August 1, 2019, and February 29, 2020, this study observed a 48% decrease in the rate of posting after the uprising and a significant increase in negative public reactions to the posts. No two-way communication messages were posted and hardly any posts reflected transparent governance. The research, which also included semi-structured interviews with locals from the same municipalities, observed that there was a lack of trust in local authorities among the majority of interviewees, and the desire for transparent and consultative two-way communication messages was expressed as a means to reinforce that trust.