Assignment for all Lebanese: think about what you want for Lebanon!

I want to join my fellow blogger arch.memory in calling for all Lebanese to think about specific changes that we want for Lebanon. Forget the threats of foreigners; forget the fear of the future; its time to think about possibilities!

Those of us who are abroad have a special responsibility in this regard. Although no place in this world is ideal, there are some places that "work" better than others. Lebanese who are in Europe, the United States and East Asia should do our best to carefully study our environment, and relate it to Lebanon. We owe it to our parents, siblings and friends who we left behind.

Let us not fall into the trap of criticizing those in power, or even seeking power, without having articulated political thoughts and opinions. One of the most important processes in politics is when individuals and groups in societies are able to inform politicians and leaders specifically what they want - and then pressure them to deliver.

On that note, I will end my commentary, and provide you with some interesting data that I got from a World Bank web page. Maybe, it could be a launch pad for further discussion about what is next for our beloved country! It summarizes for us the challenges that Lebanese face in attempting to realize the fundamental right of every human being to make a comfortable living in his own land. I look forward reading feedback pertaining to the validity of these measures, whether they deserve to be listed as a priority in the Lebanese political agenda, or whether there are other economic indicators that supercede these in importance (in the Lebanese context), among other things.

best,

raja

Starting a Business in Lebanon(2004)

The challenges of launching a business in Lebanon are shown below through four measures: procedures required to establish a business, the associated time and cost, and the minimum capital requirement. Entrepreneurs can expect to go through 6 steps to launch a business over 46 days on average, at a cost equal to 131.5% of gross national income (GNI) per capita. They must deposit at least 82.3% of GNI per capita in a bank to obtain a business registration number, compared with the regional average of 856.4% of GNI and OECD average of 44.1% of GNI.

Indicator	Lebanon	Regional Average	OECD Average
Number of procedures	6	10	6
Time (days)	46	39	25
Cost (% of income per capita)	131.5	51.2	8.0
Min. capital (% of income per capita)	82.3	856.4	44.1

Getting Credit (2004)

Measures on credit information sharing and the legal rights of borrowers and lenders in Lebanon are shown below. One set of indicators measures the coverage, scope, quality and accessibility of credit information available through public and private registries. A second set measures how well collateral and bankruptcy laws facilitate lending. It ranges from 0-10, with higher scores indicating that those laws are better designed to expand access to credit. Lebanon has a score of 4, compared with the regional average of 3.9 and OECD average of 6.3. The Credit Information Index measures the scope, access and quality of credit information available through public registries or private bureaus. The index ranges from 0-6, with higher values indicating that more credit information is available from a public registry or private bureau. Lebanon has a score of 4, compared with the regional average of 2.1 and OECD average of 5.0.

Indicator	Lebanon	Regional Average	OECD Average
Cost to create collateral (% of income per capita)	2.2	18.5	5.2
Legal Rights Index	4	3.9	6.3
Credit Information Index	4	2.1	5.0
Public credit registry coverage (borrowers per 1000 adults)	31	20.6	76.2
Private bureau coverage (borrowers per 1000 adults)	0	12.6	577.2

Protecting Investors (2004)

The degree to which investors are protected through disclosure of ownership and financial information is measured below. The Disclosure Index captures seven ways of enhancing disclosure: information on family; indirect ownership; beneficial ownership; voting agreements between shareholders; audit committees reporting to the reporting to the board of directors; use of external auditors; and public availability of ownership and financial information to current and potential investors. The index varies between 0 and 7, with higher values indicating more disclosure. Lebanon has a score of 1, compared with the regional average of 2.6 and OECD score of 5.6.

Indicator	Lebanon	Regional Average	OECD Average
Disclosure Index	1	2.6	5.6

Enforcing Contracts (2004)

The ease or difficulty of enforcing commercial contracts in Lebanon is measured below, using three indicators: the number of procedures counted from the moment the plaintiff files a lawsuit until actual payment, the associated time, and the cost (in court and attorney fees), expressed as a percentage of debt value. In Lebanon, the cost of enforcing contracts is 26.7, compared with the regional average of 17.9 and OECD average of 10.8.

Indicator	Lebanon	Regional Average	OECD Average
Number of procedures	39	38	19
Time (days)	721	437	229
Cost (% of debt)	26.7	17.9	10.8