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Business associations and the representation of business interests in post‐war Lebanon: the case of the association of Lebanese industrialists

No studies have been done on business groups in Lebanon: their history, organization, the manner in which they articulate their demands and their relations with each other, labour and the government. This is regrettable given the historic dominance of the private sector in the Lebanese economy, and the liberal attitude of the state towards the formation of autonomous business associations. Previous research on Lebanon has not dealt in any systematic way with the issue of articulation and advancement of economic interests, whether those of labour or business.' In the growing literature on the political economy of the Arab region, one encounters an equally deficient treatment of the activities of business groups, despite some scant references by Eva Bellin, Joe Bahout and Riad al-Khouri to the activities of such associations in Tunisia, Syria and Jordan, respectively.2 A somewhat more detailed treatment of business associations in Egypt, especially the Egyptian Businessmen Association (EBA), can be found in Sullivan's study of private voluntary organizations (PVOs) in Egypt.3 Given the historic dominance of the public sector in most Arab economies, at least until the 1980s, it is understandable why authors did not give much attention to the activities of associations of private businessmen. But in the late 1980s and 1990s, the role of the private sector expanded in most Arab economies. This should have led to greater interest on the part of political economists in how associations of private businessmen are responding to the new challenges and opportunities created by structural adjustment, economic liberalization and privatization. Formal associations of private businessmen have a long history in Lebanon, many go back to the early days of independence, if not earlier.4 As aforementioned, however, such associations have received little academic interest. This article is a partial answer to this deficiency in the literature on Lebanon's political economy. It explores a number of questions regarding