MICRO AND SMALL ENTERPRISES IN LEBANON

AcknowledgementThis is the first report of a series of four, reporting on the results of the project on “PromotingCompetitiveness in Micro and Small Enterprises” carried out by ERF.The report is based on the extensive research undertaken by the team from the Consultation andResearch Institute, Lebanon under the supervision of Dr. Kamal Hamdan. ERF is grateful to Dr.Hamdan and his team for the great efforts and the time they devoted to accomplish this project. Dr.Hamdan’s leadership of the work on the field survey, data collection and analysis and preparation ofthe country report, policy brief and data files is greatly acknowledged. The outcome of this projectwill make a significant contribution to the knowledge of the micro and small enterprises in Lebanon.ERF is grateful to Dr. Heba Handoussa who launched this project, to Dr. Nader Fergany who directedthe overall project, and to the project’s Advisory Committee: Dr. Jacques Charmes, ORSTOM,France; Dr. Donald Mead, Michigan University, USA; Dr. Ferhad Mehran, International LaborOffice, Switzerland; Dr. Saad Nagi, Ohio State University; and Dr. Hernando de Soto, Institute forLiberty and Democracy, Peru.Special thanks are due to Dr. Charmes, Dr. Mead and Dr. Mehran for their continued support andadvice to the projects’ team. Without their help, the project would not have been accomplished.The report has undergone several phases of review, and was the subject of discussions from policymakers, academics and specialists. Special thanks are due to Dr. Samir Makdisi, American Universityin Beirut, Lebanon; Dr. Toufic Gaspar, Independent Consultant, Lebanon and Dr. Haysam Omar,Economic & Social Fund for Development, Lebanon for their inputs and comments on the report.ERF is grateful to Dr. Atif Kubursi, Econometric Research Limited, Canada for kindly accepting to bethe Peer Reviewer of the report and for providing very useful and constructive comments.ERF greatly acknowledges the generous financial support by the MSE project donors. The Countrystudy of Lebanon has benefited from the financial contributions of The Arab Fund for Economic andSocial Development; The European Commission (through the FEMISE project); and the InternationalDevelopment Research Center, Canada.ERF is grateful to Dr. Samir Radwan, ERF Managing Director, for his continued and systematicsupport and advice for the whole duration of the project. Without his persistence this project wouldnot have been accomplished. ERF also acknowledges the efforts done by its former staff memberAzza El-Shinnawy for coordinating the project in its initial phase and by Maryse Louis forcoordinating the project in its final phase.The report has benefited from the contributions of many institutions and individuals from within andoutside Lebanon. Also appreciated is the work of editing, design and printing of the report.