January 01, 2013
Decentralization, Democratization, and the Role of Regional Administrations for Better Service Delivery in the Arab World

A project aimed at introducing decentralization in three Arab countries including Lebanon. The overall purpose of the study is threefold:
Provide a critical review/assessment of the decentralization projects in a number of Arab countries.
Provide policy recommendations on the role, responsibilities, and fiscal authority of regional administrations (i.e. municipal unions) vis-à-vis municipalities, on one hand, and the central government on the other hand.
Inform and discuss with policymakers, municipality heads, and experts on what should the new role of municipal unions be based on the above policy recommendations.
 
Expected outcomes:
A conceptual framework with international experiences and best practices
Three country briefs including Lebanon and possibly Tunisia and Egypt
Policy paper based on data collected from the budget as well as from the questionnaire that measures the performance of Lebanon’s municipal unions
Two policy briefs: One on the Arab world and one on Lebanon
 
In collaboration with the Open Society Institute.