IFI Blog
  • Home
  • Blog
  • ELECTORAL LAB
    • Infographics | Electoral lists: What do the numbers really mean?
    • Electoral Lists Analysis
    • Early indicators from the expatriates voting
    • Expats Turnout Analysis
    • Post Elections Parliamentary Indicators
  • Iran in Focus
  • Contact

IFI Op-ed #30: COVID-19 Exposed the Middle East’s Economic Fragility in 2020

12/18/2020

 
Joseph Bahout| Friday, December 18, 2020
Picture


During the last year, an already weakened Middle East has witnessed stark challenges to its economic, environmental and structural foundations, thanks to COVID-19.

Declining oil prices went on declining at a steady pace, aggravated by a long-term global shrinking of demand; there was turbulence in the labor market, amid shortages of skilled imported labor due to the pandemic and the growing weight of public sector expenditures. This, in turn, translated into further public debt, growing deficits, and an opening up of public companies to private foreign capital.

Read More

IFI Op-ed #29: Reforming Lebanon: Act Now

12/8/2020

 
Jamal Saghir| Tuesday, December 8, 2020
Picture
Lebanon’s Grand Serail. (The Daily Star/Mohamad Azakir)

In the last few weeks, the World Bank Group and the International Development community in Lebanon issued three important reports.

​
Immediately after the massive blast that rocked the port of Beirut on August 4, the World Bank Group in cooperation with the United Nations and the European Union (EU) launched a Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment to assess the impact on the population, physical assets, infrastructure and service delivery. They estimated damages in order of US$3.8-4.6 billion, with housing and culture sectors most severely affected and losses around US$2.9-3.5 billion, with housing being the most hit followed by transport and culture. Priority Recovery and Reconstruction needs were estimated around US$ 2.0 billion, with transport needs highest followed by culture and housing.

​

Read More

    Archives

    January 2023
    November 2022
    March 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    July 2021
    February 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    August 2018

    Categories

    All
    COVID 19
    Lebanon Nears Collapse: What’s Next?

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • Blog
  • ELECTORAL LAB
    • Infographics | Electoral lists: What do the numbers really mean?
    • Electoral Lists Analysis
    • Early indicators from the expatriates voting
    • Expats Turnout Analysis
    • Post Elections Parliamentary Indicators
  • Iran in Focus
  • Contact