The future of oil in Lebanon - Sami Atallah

What is the future of the oil and gas sector in Lebanon? Following the recent discovery of these valuable resources in the southern Mediterranean, including in the Cypriot and Israeli offshore reserves, the possibility of Lebanon also becoming a petroleum-producing country has been raised. This collection of essays addresses the major challenges and opportunities that accompany the country's hope to join the petroleum club. Covering the key policy issues - from Lebanon's susceptibility to the oil curse, to the environmental risks of production - this book brings together expert analysis to offer answers at the institutional level. Of central importance, the contributors argue, is that for Lebanon to benefit from the discovery of petroleum, it must first reform its institutions with the full support of the voting public and civil society. Combining rigorous quantitative and qualitative research, the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies has produced here an essential book that puts petroleum in Lebanon, and the important questions that come with it, within a global perspective.

Sami Atallah is Director of the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies (LCPS) in Beirut, Lebanon. His research interests focus on the political economy of development, the role of national institutions, and local governance. He holds two master's degrees in international and development economics from Yale University and in quantitative methods from Columbia University. Bassam Fattouh is Director of the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, UK. He is also a senior fellow at the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies (LCPS) in Beirut and Professor at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. He holds a PhD in economics from SOAS, University of London.

This is a remarkable collection of essays written by some of the best and most prestigious specialists in the field. Some of the chapters offer an extremely valuable overview of topics of general interest.
Giacomo Luciani, Adjunct Professor, The Graduate Institute, Geneva