Lebanon’s 2026 draft budget masks the deficit, taxes wages over wealth, and lacks a reconstruction plan. A political choice to preserve the status quo. Read our new article by TPI’s authors, Khaled Saad, Sami Atallah and Sami Zoughaib.

In May 2025, the Lebanese state enacted 236 legislative texts - the highest monthly total since the new cabinet took office. Activity was heavily concentrated on approving donations to public institutions to sustain their operations and licensing businesses and organizations, which together accounted for nearly half of all texts issued. Donations approved this month reached the second highest monthly level in nine years. The remaining texts focused on tax extensions and exemptions, cancellation of vocational official exams for this year, promotion of security officers whose previous promotions had been frozen, among others. For more details, please refer to the monthly memo for the month of May.

Lebanon is caught in the convergence of two failures: a state that abandoned its citizens and a system that normalized sectarian and non-state control. Reconstruction must go beyond repairing damage to reassert state sovereignty, rebuild institutions, mobilize local resources, and restore citizen trust. Read our new article in collaboration with The Legal Agenda and Beirut Urban Lab, authored by Sami Atallah, Mona Fawaz, Nizar Saghieh, and Sami Zoughaib.

In our latest article, Sami Atallah and Sami Zoughaib argue that Karim Soueid’s appointment reflects elite consensus to block reform and protect banking interests, ending the president’s reform promises just two months into his mandate.

نداء لحماية الممتلكات الثقافية بعد العدوان الإسرائيلي على لبنان. صادر عن مجموعة من منظمات المجتمع المدني التي تعمل من أجل حماية وتوثيق الأضرار التي لحقت بالممتلكات الثقافية في لبنان (المفكرة القانونية، بلادي، الجنوبيون الخضر، المجلس الثقافي للبنان الجنوبي، نحن،أشغال عامة، مبادرة سياسات الغد، مؤسسة الجادرجي للعمارة والمجتمع، اللقاء العمراني).

Lebanon’s political establishment often touts ministerial rotation, factional exclusion, and the appointment of technocrats as the keys to reform. Are these proposed solutions genuine—or merely cosmetic gestures that uphold systemic corruption? Our latest article provides a critical examination of these narratives and details the deeper institutional changes needed to address Lebanon’s entrenched crisis.

Lebanon’s newly elected President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam bring a glimmer of hope to a nation reeling from crises. But can they overcome entrenched political resistance and institutional decay to deliver meaningful reforms? Our latest analysis dives into the challenges ahead, the forces behind their rise, and what’s at stake for Lebanon’s future.

هل يُمكن إصلاح المالية العامة في لبنان؟ وكيف نُعيد توزيع الموارد بشكل عادل؟ في تقريرنا الأخير يطرح كريم ضاهر، نائب رئيسة مجلس الإدارة في مبادرة سياسات الغد، رؤية إصلاحية مالية لمواجهة الأزمات المتفاقمة، ووضع أسس التنمية المستدامة والعدالة الاجتماعية

نداء بشأن إشغال النازحين/ات المساحات العامة. صادر عن عدد من الجمعيات والمنظمات والمبادرات.

In June 2024, the Lebanese state issued 151 legislative texts, yet failed to address crucial reforms.

In May 2024, the Lebanese state issued 128 legislative texts, but none addressed the critical reforms the country urgently needs. 

In our latest report, Wassim Maktabi, Sami Zoughaib, Sami Atallah, and Najib Zoghaib scrutinize Lebanon's governance challenges. They examine both the state's unmet reform promises and its actual legislative actions and highlight how misaligned priorities and narrow interests continue to hinder progressive policymaking.

As Lebanon's Parliament votes on the 2024 budget, glaring tax inequities take center stage. This article by Sami Zoughaib and Georgia Dagher reveals how the proposed taxes disproportionately burden lower-income groups, while sparing wealthier segments. We explore three critical areas - real estate, imports, and debt settlements - where tax loopholes have led to staggering revenue losses and exacerbated wealth disparities. Urgent reforms are needed for a fairer, more equitable tax system.

Lebanon's 2024 draft budget reflects persisting fiscal mismanagement, signaling ongoing concerns for economic recovery and social stability. The budget heavily relies on VAT, disproportionately burdening the less affluent, adding strain on small and medium enterprises, and favoring the interests of the wealthy. Despite proposed budget increases, essential service ministries, such as public health, education, and social affairs, remain underfunded, threatening societal well-being.

In our latest article, we examine the poorly designed expenditure structure in Lebanon's 2023 Draft Budget. The analysis reveals how the significant delays in budget preparation have made it obsolete, and the shrinking budget size, which has plummeted even more than the economy during the ongoing crisis. The article also highlights the disproportionate allocation of resources, primarily in favor of sovereign ministries over crucial service-oriented ones, and the prevalence of personnel costs in the budget, despite being insufficient. These findings underscore the pressing need for fiscal reform and a more responsible approach to public spending in Lebanon.

In a collaborative effort by Sam Heller, Century International, Sami Zoughaib, The Policy Initiative, our latest report, which draws upon interviews with Lebanese officials, politicians, civil society leaders, and representatives of donor countries and international institutions, highlights the critical role of public pressure in compelling elites to act responsibly and holding them accountable. Lebanon's economic collapse can only be stopped with an urgent IMF program and comprehensive reforms. However, IMF talks have stalled primarily due to a disconnect between the country's weak negotiating team and its hegemonic anti-reform political elites. Disinformation has further exacerbated the situation, distorting political discourse and misleading the public. Instead of working with the IMF to implement the needed reforms, the country's political elites are pursuing a clandestine “shadow” plan. This plan would shift the economic burden onto the Lebanese people, leading to widespread suffering.

Mounir Mahmalat and Wassim Maktabi share the findings on how political elites use public infrastructure procurement to generate rents with a focus on design and supervision consultants involved in several of The Council of Development and Reconstruction's projects

TPI’s Sami Zoughaib and Wassim Maktabi offer a reading of the current trajectory of the financial crisis and its outlook in light of recent political developments.

Our report with Towards_Fairwork Lebanon rates working conditions at 6 of the biggest platforms in the country's food delivery and ride-hailing sectors: Bolt, Gozilla, Indrive, TaxiF, Toters, and Uber. The report constitutes the first in-depth overview of working conditions in Lebanon’s platform economy, in a country battling multiple crises. None of the platforms assessed in this year’s study were granted any points for the five principles of fair work.

منظّمات تدعو هيئة مكافحة الفساد للتدقيق في تصريح سلامة: نحو تفعيل الرقابة على تصاريح الذمة المالية

The 'Change Bloc' in Lebanon's Parliament, formed following the May 2022 parliamentary elections, encountered significant hurdles, including internal divisions and strategic disagreements, eventually leading to its collapse. This article unveils the main factors behind this downfall through highlighting the differences in their political visions and exploring how these challenges impacted the bloc's cohesion and effectiveness.

Our latest report by Nadim El Kak investigates the hurdles encountered by Lebanon's "Change MPs" during their initial 18 months in office. It details their legislative performance, oversight duties, parliamentary alliances, and political outlooks. Based on interviews with eight Change MPs, the report offers insights into their daily experiences, strategies, and internal dynamics. It also examines the broader landscape of Lebanon's opposition movements, highlighting observed differences and rifts among Change actors. The report outlines the challenges faced by Change MPs in implementing reforms and ensuring governmental accountability, highlighting the obstructionism of sectarian parties and its impact on parliamentary processes. In their interviews, Change MPs share how they actively engaged in actions such as uncovering corruption, halting questionable government contracts, and advocating for reforms amidst Lebanon's deepening crisis.

The 2022 Lebanese parliamentary elections were a pivotal moment for the country, marked by a significant public demand for change following the 2019 uprising. Despite its transformative potential, Lebanon remains at a political standstill, with the 2022 election results yet to be translated into forming a government and electing a president. What makes the 2022 elections different from previous ones is the unprecedented diaspora mobilization. Compared to 2018, their participation tripled, affecting the election outcome for seven candidates, including five anti-establishment ones. Yet, the true power of their vote is still to be fully realized. Remittances, investments, and expertise are key to navigating the economic crisis, making the diaspora’s involvement in political processes even more significant.

In partnership with Sami Kassir Foundation, our recent report exposes Lebanon's media reliance on elites for funding, hence shaping the public narrative. Across TV stations, radio outlets, and print sources, we unveil how the support of political groups fuels polarization and distorts public opinion. Analyzing costs, revenues, and informal funds, our study emphasizes the media's dependence on politically motivated backing. 

How does Lebanon’s current electoral law fall short of being representative?

Seat distribution by political affiliation of Lebanon’s newest parliament in comparison to that of 2018

While no recent figures on the diaspora’s political leanings exist, a look at their choices in the 2018 elections—when out of country voting was introduced—shows that they did not vote as one homogeneous bloc, and that their votes had no marginal impact.

2022 Parliamentary Elections: A look at the ruling political party alliances.

The authors latest article in the series on Lebanon’s history of foreign assistance, analyzes the distribution of international assistance to Lebanon by donor and sector.

Lebanon’s agro-ecologists are experimenting with new ways of living and producing amid crisis. “Green Struggles” explores how agricultural movements imagine just environmental futures despite fragmentation, donor dependency, and policy neglect. A new TPI report written by Luna Dayekh and Mona Harb, and part of TPI and The Legal Agenda’s joint project Climate, Land and Rights.

Land across the Arab region is becoming a contested commodity, eroding traditional ways of life. Rami Zurayk and Ghinwa Harik unpack the complex economic, political, and environmental forces driving land grabbing in the region, increasingly justified in the name of a more sustainable future. This article is part of TPI and The Legal Agenda’s joint project Climate, Land and Rights.

In June 2025, our 'Climate, Land, and Rights' project reached its midpoint, making significant progress towards achieving its main objectives and expanding its scope to address emerging environmental conflicts intensified by regional developments. We're sharing key updates and introducing upcoming public engagement events.

In TPI's latest article, Mona Khechen calls for holding Israel accountable for its environmental crimes and emphasizes the need to recognize ecocide as an international crime. While Israel promotes itself as a climate leader, it is committing an ecocide by targeting infrastructure, agricultural land, and natural resources in Lebanon and Gaza.

The Policy Initiative is launching "Climate, Land, and Rights: The Quest for Social and Environmental Justice in the Arab Region" – a collaborative research project that unfolds the intricate layers of land governance, rights, and the climate crisis in Lebanon, Tunisia, Egypt, and Jordan.

Lebanon’s sovereignty battle isn’t just about arms. It is about legitimacy, capacity, and whether the state can act independently in the face of domestic vetoes and external pressures.