• Implementing Organization(s):  VEGA/LAGO implemented by Citizens Development Corps (prime), Partners of the Americas (sub)
• Name: Lebanon Assessment for Growth and Opportunity
• Location: Lebanon and Washington, DC
• Dates: August, 2005—January, 2006
• Funding Organization/Cognizant Officer: Ghassan Jamous, USAID/Lebanon, 1-961-4-542-600, JamousGW@state.gov

Problem Statement:
USAID/Lebanon contracted VEGA to develop a strategy document that would inform its decision-making and programming for the design of the 2007-2010 Mission Strategy to stimulate economic growth and opportunity for disadvantaged rural populations. 

Project Focus: 
From October to December 2005, CDC led a team of 10 staff, consultants, and volunteers to undertake the USAID-funded Lebanon Assessment for Growth and Opportunity project.  The assessment team was tasked with undertaking research, interviews, focus groups, and analysis so as to help USAID/Lebanon to design its new Mission Strategy to stimulate economic growth and opportunity for disadvantaged rural populations.  The team met with hundreds of stakeholders representing private business (especially in the IT, tourism, and agribusiness industries), NGOs, academic institutions, donor agencies, and Lebanese municipal and national government.  Through these meetings, the team—which was comprised of experts in municipal governance, tourism, agribusiness, information technology, and USAID policy—developed a strategy document that addressed the means by which USAID/Lebanon might best program its funds so as to support equitable economic growth and increased citizen participation through municipal government in Lebanon.

Key Technical Highlights:

• Desk study and field research by staff, consultants, and volunteers;
• Analysis of effectiveness of USAID programs in Lebanon;
• Provision of research and analysis document to inform new USAID/Lebanon strategy for economic growth and municipal governance.

Project Methodology:
The VEGA team was comprised of one staff member from Citizens Development Corps, two consultants, and five volunteers from both Citizens Development Corps and Partners of the Americas, as well as two local Lebanese consultants.  The team members were selected because they were experts, respectively, in the tourism, agribusiness, and information technology industries, as well as experts in the fields of municipal governance, community strategic planning and USAID strategy development.  Local consultants were selected for their long history of good work in Lebanon on USAID and other donor-funded projects, as well as with private businesses.  Consultants and volunteers undertook their research and assessment activities in Lebanon for approximately three to five weeks each, and each expatriate consultant/volunteer produced a final report on his/her area of expertise. Consultants/volunteers also provided significant input into the development of the recommendations for the strategy document.

The team collected qualitative and quantitative data through the following activities:

• A review of existing research and background documents;
• The development of sector and industry specific questionnaires;
• Stakeholder interviews; and
• Workshops and community stakeholder meetings.

The research process began with a review of relevant background documents, previous studies related to business development in Lebanon, and reports from numerous on-going and past development projects.  Key data collected from a wide range of sources on different Lebanese sectors were often inconsistent and not easily comparable.  The data found in international donor reports was of limited utility since it was compiled originally for different purposes and was rarely broken down beyond major categories. Therefore, rather than relying solely on this existing data, the research team elected to use the current information gathered from interviews and discussion groups as the basis for the programmatic framework.

To assure a consistent approach for data collection, the team developed sector and industry-specific interview questionnaires and designed the research methodology that would be used for sector studies.  Using these tools, the team conducted more than 60 interviews with businesses, government officials, business association leaders, NGOs, banks and non-bank financial institutions, business training and consulting organizations and other relevant groups and individuals.  This approach provided the team with a sampling of qualitative data used to formulate a preliminary set of findings, conclusions and recommendations. 

In addition to surveys and interviews, the team conducted eight regional meetings of municipalities.  These meetings enabled the team to facilitate dialogue between municipal and community leaders and collect data from a diverse group of stakeholders.  The meetings included representatives from local governments, the business community, NGOs and other non-institutional actors. This participatory approach encouraged attendees to share information, identify common interests, and build relationships that could form the basis for the joint development and implementation of projects.  It also encouraged consensus building and prioritizing about the most pressing needs of the participants’ communities. The data collected from those meetings were analyzed and utilized in strategy preparation.

The team also met regularly with USAID/Lebanon to present findings and discuss potential future interventions for USAID under the new strategy.  The team also solicited periodic input from the US Department of State so as to be able to address the challenges to economic growth and municipal government in a broader policy context.

Components of Sustainability: 
Because this was an assessment for USAID, components of sustainability were not addressed as they usually might be under a more traditional development program.  However, because the team thought it was important to involve local stakeholders in the design of the future Strategy, a series of eight meetings was held so as to gauge local support and solicit ideas on potential areas of funding.  This participatory planning process promoted the involvement of Lebanese leaders and businesspeople in the development of potential future programs, and this early collaboration from locals is crucial to the success of a program. 

Use of Best Practices: 
Regular meetings with donor during assessment process allowed for consistent feedback and an ongoing process of crafting the Strategy document as the team progressed through its interviews, research, and meetings.  This not only led to a more informed and realistic Strategy document, but also promoted a greater level of satisfaction by USAID at the conclusion of the program. 

Selection of local consultants with a long history of working in Lebanon, but with a range of different experiences was crucial to the success of the Assessment.  One of the team’s local consultants had extensive experience with USAID-funded programming, and had worked as a staffer on a USAID-funded program for many years, thus understood both the contracting mechanisms and the constraints faced by USAID in funding programs.  The other local consultant had extensive experience in the private sector, with the Lebanese national government, and with other donor agencies (in this case, the World Bank, the EU, and bilateral donors).  The varied experience of our local consultants was invaluable to the team, not only in terms of making contacts for interviews and group meetings, but also in terms of understanding a nuanced view of the local context. 

Preparation of the Volunteers in Advance of the assessment was crucial.  Volunteers arrived in-country ready to work and ready to test hypothesis already formed by their individual desk studies undertaken previous to field work.  Because this was such a short program (CDC staff were in Lebanon for six weeks, and Volunteers were each in-country for approximately 3 weeks each), the advance knowledge of the country was useful in “hitting the ground running.”

CDC sent one staffer and the two lead consultants on the project to the field one week earlier than the arrival of the first Volunteer Advisor so as to meet with USAID and local consultants, as well as to schedule the first set of meetings for the Volunteer Advisors.  This allowed the Volunteer Advisors to maximize their time in the field. 

Results and Impacts:

80 individuals from local and national government, businesses and business associations, civil society, donor-funded international and Lebanese NGOs, donor organizations (including USAID, the World Bank, the EU, and other donors) interviewed.

Group meetings held with representatives from 8 cazas (administrative districts).  120 representatives from municipal government, local civil society organizations, and businesses were present and provided insight and analysis on the challenges and opportunities in their respective regions. 

Strategy Document, entitled “Strengthening Democracy through Economic Opportunity,” presented to USAID/Lebanon.  The Strategy addressed first the approach and methodology of field team, and second the background information related to the Assessment, including discussion of policy context and previous USAID/Lebanon efforts related to economic growth and municipal governance.  The document then prescribed three components for the new strategy:

• Reinforcing the Economic Foundations of Democracy: Ensuring that the Middle Class Prospers & Grows
• Reviving Periurban and Rural Areas
• Empowering Citizens to Secure Economic Opportunity & Democratic Government

The Strategy also addressed potential project approaches under this strategy; enabling conditions for the success of the strategy; and implications for USAID/Lebanon structure and management. 

• Industry reports prepared by Volunteer Advisors, expatriate consultants, and local consultants for the tourism, ICT, and agribusiness industries, as well as a SWOT analysis on local government, were presented to USAID as an addendum to the Strategy document.

Testimonials:
“Hi Kate and others, I would like to thank you and all the team members for the good work done in putting together the Strategic Objective: Strengthening Democracy Through Economic Opportunity document. The information and the data that you have provided will definitely help the mission in putting the future strategy document for Lebanon. Thank you again. Ghassan” (Ghassan Jamous, Development Program Specialist, USAID/Lebanon)