In 2022, in Lebanon, getting between 0-2 hours of electricity per day is considered normal, burying tons of garbage underground is the default, and armed militias are free to roam around flaunting their weapons.
Adding to this a banking crisis, an economic downfall, the volatility of the security situation, and the unpredictability of the political scene. All the above results in a country where the quality of life is unfortunate. In fact, Lebanon ranks at 145 out of 146 countries on the world happiness index (Helliwell et al., 2022).
The inefficient policies of the Lebanese government have led to the current disaster. Instead of allocating funds to develop a sustainable electricity plan relying on solar energy, the government is busy buying just enough fuel to provide a couple of hours of electricity. And rather than investing in long term recycling factories the government favoured burying the piling garbage and increasing toxicity levels in the neighbouring areas.
There is a reason that those who witnessed the Lebanese civil war in the 1970’s claim that the living conditions in the country during the 2020’s are far worse. Because what people accept during a war is different than what they expect during “peace”. Because 50 years later, people expect development. Change is inevitable, but in Lebanon the rulers have made sure to keep the population stuck in the past. Not only that, but the same rulers have also managed to make the future worse with threats of food security (World Food Programme, 2022), increasing poverty (UNICEF, 2022) and a children healthcare crisis
(Chehayeb, 2021).
Similarly, the public administration has also frozen in time, thereby affecting public policies and decision-making processes. Modernizing the public administration can start with digitizing. Which can in turn reduce corruption, increase transparency, promote decentralization, decrease bureaucracy, and restore the public’s trust in government.
Corruption is indeed one of the main problems facing the public institutions and administrations in Lebanon today. And while corruption is a complicated problem with a variety of reasons behind it, introducing digitized procedures and software to the public administration is a necessary first step. In fact, reducing in person interactions between citizens and government employees can eliminate the most basic form of corruption: bribery.
But beyond that, on an intra-governmental level, implementing security-based software in the public sector can increase transparency and reduce the chances of misappropriation of funds. One way to do that is through blockchain technology. Which can secure data, decrease cost, and of course reduce abuse potential and corruption. Blockchain technology allows for resources sharing over a distributed ledger secured using cryptography.
Digitizing government services by making them available to citizens online can encourage decentralization. Citizens are less likely to flood to the capital city, hence it would help in decongesting the city of Beirut. Having public administrative services available online can also save citizens’ time and money and facilitate their lives. Decentralization is a key aspect of development as it can facilitate business investments and induce economic growth. Moreover, the process of digitizing these services can make redundant steps evident and simplify the services, thus in turn reducing bureaucracy and making the process more efficient.
When talking about digital transformation on a governmental level, it is important to discuss the human capital needed for such a transition. Sadly, the series of unfortunate events that have unfolded since 2019 has driven a new immigration wave. The “Brain Drain” phenomena is very much present with the youngest members of the population reaching out to leave first. Financial remuneration is not the sole motivation for leaving, the Lebanese people are seeking out immigration to secure a better future with more opportunities, guaranteed security, and a dignified lifestyle.
Providing attractive job opportunities for the younger population is key to putting an end to this immigration wave. Since the younger generations are naturally more digitally oriented, the Lebanese government should classify them as an asset and utilize this human capital to implement a digital transformation. By doing so, the government would be developing the public administration all while retaining the skilled labour force in the country. The government should also accompany this initiative by introducing relevant courses to the national curriculum in schools. Subsequently, the state would be preparing the younger population to enter the workforce armed with an essential set of skills.
In an effort to introduce digitization into the public administration, the Lebanese Central Inspection Agency launched IMPACT, or the Inter-Ministerial and Municipal Platform for Assessment, Coordination, and Tracking in March–April 2020. IMPACT is the first e-governance platform in Lebanon catering to citizens, government employees, and nongovernmental organizations.
IMPACT was originally built to collect data for audit purposes, but the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic forced the platform to expand its role and include a crisis management tool for government bodies and the Lebanese Red Cross. The platform was flexible and responsive to the needs of the government in the middle of a pandemic. IMPACT offered the platform needed to manage citizens’ mobility permits during the nationwide lockdown. Additionally, the platform was used to manage the Covid-19 vaccine distribution efforts.
Effective data compilation and storage is a crucial element to digitizing government. IMPACT provides an open data source not only to public servants, but also to citizens, researchers, and media outlets. This enables the citizens to hold their government accountable for their policies. Access to data also promotes transparency and reinforces the citizens’ trust in government. Similarly, the platform offers tailored data to government employees and decisionmakers thereby allowing them to make decisions on a need-basis rather than by random speculations. This digital government platform combines multiple roles such as an open data source, a crisis management tool, and a digitized archive.
When building digital government platforms, the design of the user interface is equally as important as the design of the backend structures. Having a modern and organized appearance helps the user easily navigate the platform. Additionally, a digital transformation is not complete without a social media presence. In fact, IMPACT uses social media channels to answer citizens’ queries online. This is an important aspect of the digitization process as it makes citizens feel heard.
The success of a platform like IMPACT demonstrates the efficiency of a collaboration between the private and public sectors. The platform is owned by the Central Inspection Agency, but the technological aspect is run by a private company. Given that the private sector has access to better technology resources than the public sector, the latter can widely benefit from cooperating with the private sector.
In talking about a transition to a digital government, certain stern measures must be taken to avoid risks of invading citizens’ privacy. Online governmental platforms should not be abused by monitoring citizens or tracking their movement.
While IMPACT proposes a good start for a digital government platform, more can be done to further expand its many roles. The platform can be introduced to other bodies of the government to consolidate development efforts and help reform the public administration.
Finally, advancing towards a digitized government can have benefits on decentralization efforts, job creation, and effective transparency. Ultimately, digital government platforms can serve as powerful anti-corruption tools. And as such, it is expected to be fought by those most benefiting from the lack of transparency within the public sector. Just like reforms were fought for the electricity sector, and eco-friendly solutions for the garbage crisis were dismissed.
The tens of thousands of Lebanese who marched through the streets in October 2019 were demanding a change. One that would ultimately lead to a more developed country. The change in mentality has started, it is up to the younger generation to keep that momentum vivid and work towards spreading this culture. The shift is evident in the latest parliamentary elections, and it is now time to start building on this change by demanding the execution of policies focused on development and transparency.
And yet today, as we postulate what the world might look like 20 or 30 years from now, can we imagine a modern government ruling over a developed Lebanon? One that would have introduced a metro to the busy cities for example. Or should we keep our expectations low and hope that Lebanon would at least have 24 hours of electricity per day?