A History of Stability and Change in Lebanon

Bayeh, Joseph N.

doi:10.5040/9781350985063

Cited by 2 publications

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“…Middle Eastern crises (e.g. the civil war in Syria and the Israeli–Hezbollah confrontation in July 2006) destabilized the government and brought the country into political and economic turmoil (Bayeh, 2017; Leenders, 2012; Raphaeli, 2009). Lebanon entered a recession in the last quarter of 2019 with a 10% decline in GDP (World Bank, 2019; World Food Programme, 2020a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…First, because knowledge of the virus and its potential severity was low at the beginning of the pandemic, consumers throughout the globe worried about their families and the longterm prognosis, began storing food and other supplies (Beard-Knowland, 2020;EY, 2020). Stockpiling and panic buying are key components of crisis-and disaster-related consuming behaviors that received extensive media attention during the COVID-19 pandemic (Hall et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Food shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic: an exploratory study in four Near Eastern countries

Hassen

Bilali

Allahyari

2022

JIMA

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Purpose During a pandemic, risk and uncertainty are the most important factors affecting consumer behavior. Near Eastern marketplaces are undergoing dramatic change during the COVID-19 global pandemic. As a result, this paper aims to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on food shopping habits in four countries of the Near East sub-region, namely, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, Oman and Qatar. Design/methodology/approach The research is based on an online survey conducted on 1,456 subjects using a snowball sampling technique. The questionnaire consisted of 24 different questions (multiple-choice, one option) regarding the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on food habits such as food shopping, preparation, eating and food waste. Findings The findings show that consumers’ shopping habits and food sourcing in the region changed due to the risk and uncertainty connected with the COVID-19 pandemic. Firstly, respondents decreased their shopping frequency and, as a result, increased the amount of food purchased each trip. Secondly, because of food safety concerns, respondents boosted their purchases of local products. Thirdly, the data revealed an increase in online food shopping, mainly in high-income countries, namely, Qatar and Oman. Fourthly, the findings revealed significant disparities in food stockpiling behavior across the countries investigated. Research limitations/implications The major limitation of this study is the survey bias. The survey respondents were randomly hired. The questionnaire was completed by volunteers who were not rewarded. Only those motivated by a personal interest in the topic took part in the study. The sample had a high number of educated individuals, which does not represent the overall populations of the studied countries. In this case, generalizing the findings is inaccurate. A segment of the population with lower accessibility, such as individuals who are not web-literate, as well as the elderly, poor households and informal workers, especially in the Near East and North African (NENA) region, is often underrepresented in online surveys. Practical implications The findings provide insight into how consumers’ food shopping habits have changed due to the pandemic. This and other research will help governments and other organizations better prepare for future disasters and pandemics. The study’s results will also be useful in formulating evidence-based policies for the four countries studied and the NENA area as a whole throughout the post-pandemic recovery phase. The findings, for example, emphasized the necessity of encouraging online shopping by upgrading information and communication technology infrastructure and internet speed, particularly in middle-income and developing countries like Lebanon. Furthermore, in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories, the findings provide insights to international organizations (both humanitarian and development ones) to pay more attention to issues of food and nutrition security to avoid the financial and political crises combined with the COVID-19 health crisis, become a humanitarian crisis for locals as well as the hundreds of thousands of refugees (primarily Syrians in Lebanon). Finally, the pandemic’s long-term impact on food activities and food security must be mitigated by including agricultural and food systems in recovery efforts. Several issues are posing a threat to food systems. Addressing them successfully involves developing cross-disciplinary research that innovates at their intersections to provide different solutions that address the social, economic, technological and policy components of these issues. Originality/value The paper’s findings indicate that the pandemic’s consequences will most certainly differ from country to country, based not just on the epidemiologic condition but also, inter alia, on the level of pre-COVID socioeconomic development.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Food shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic: an exploratory study in four Near Eastern countries

Hassen

Bilali

Allahyari

2022

JIMA

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A Study on Lebanon’s Competitive Knowledge-Based Economy, Relative Strengths, and Shortcomings

Ben Hassen

2024

J Knowl Econ

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Lebanon faces several social, political, and economic challenges delaying the efforts to develop a sustainable economy and inclusive society. The advancement of the knowledge economy is critical to the future economic prosperity of Lebanon. This paper aims to scrutinize the state of the knowledge-based economy in Lebanon, focusing on five pillars, such as education and human capital, entrepreneurship, innovation system, economic and institutional regime, and information and communications technology (ICT), and to present recommendations for future action. The methodology is based on semi-structured face-to-face and phone interviews with stakeholders using two questionnaires. The paper finds that the process of transitioning towards a knowledge-based economy in Lebanon is influenced by two contrasting factors: the education system and the entrepreneurship culture, on the one hand, and the country’s political turmoil, on the other. Indeed, moving toward a knowledge-based economy in Lebanon is supported by its highly qualified and multilingual human resources, which is an outcome of the reliable educational system and reinforced by a robust entrepreneurial spirit. However, several issues, such as weak ICT infrastructure, incompetent public institutions, and the brain drain, hinder the transition to a knowledge-based economy. These results help clarify and critically analyze the present state of the knowledge-based economy in Lebanon, which has various policy implications.

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A History of Stability and Change in Lebanon

Cited by 2 publications

References 0 publications

Food shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic: an exploratory study in four Near Eastern countries

Food shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic: an exploratory study in four Near Eastern countries

A Study on Lebanon’s Competitive Knowledge-Based Economy, Relative Strengths, and Shortcomings

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