Century International: “Adopt a Ministry: How Foreign Aid Threatens Lebanon’s Institutions”
I have a new report out for Century International, on how international donor support is keeping Lebanon's public institutions and services running:
https://tcf.org/content/report/adopt-a-ministry-how-foreign-aid-threatens-lebanons-institutions/
Lebanon's economic crisis has brought the Lebanese state to the brink of collapse. International donors have stepped in to sponsor many of the country's public institutions and essential services, even going so far as to pay partial salaries for teachers and soldiers. It's the type of assistance normally reserved for countries devastated by war, donor country representatives told me.
It's not clear all this aid is particularly considered or wise, and it risks various perverse effects for Lebanon and its long-term development. This report lays out donors' most significant aid interventions in Lebanon and the debates and controversies over that support. The aim is to, hopefully, jump-start a debate over foreign donor assistance to Lebanon and where the country is heading.
We've also put out a shorter, more digestible Century commentary highlighting some of the report's most important points: