The Lebanese-American University has an observatory on poverty, inequality and development in the Arab Mashreq. MARSAD, led by its economics department, wants to link research and public decisions. Its launch, on the academic calendar of 30 October 2026 in Beirut, is taking place in a country where poverty figures remain difficult to compare. The available data describe different years, populations and methods.
MARSAD means « Monitoring Arab Regional Socioeconomic Advancement and Disparities ». The structure depends on the Adnan Kassar School of Business of the LAU. It brings together Lebanese and foreign economists around a goal: to produce analyses useful for development policies. Its field covers the Arab Mashreq, beyond the Lebanese case alone.
The Observatory intends to develop research on income, living conditions and social disparities. Its programme is based on the intersection of disciplines and the comparison of the countries of the Mashrek.
MARSAD looks at poverty and gaps in opportunity
The launch programme focuses on poverty, inequality and economic development. It combines the measurement of living standards with conditions of access to education, employment and social protection.
In particular, the paper announces an intervention by Ragui Assaad of the University of Minnesota on social disparities in higher education and employment. It also includes a presentation by Francisco Ferreira of the London School of Economics on the evolution of income inequality. These interventions place access to studies and work at the heart of the programme.
A session on poverty involves Walid Marrouch, economist at the LAU, and Hania Sholkamy, anthropologist at the American University in Cairo. Another concerns inequality, with Ghassan Dibeh and Fawwaz Traboulsi. Finally, the programme addresses the development models and fragmentation of the Mashrek.
This work distinguishes two related problems. Measuring poverty makes it possible to identify households that lack resources. Studying inequalities helps to understand the distribution of income and opportunities to study or work. National averages can mask large differences between households.
44 per cent poverty in the areas studied in 2022
The World Bank report published in May 2024 illustrates the importance of the perimeter. Its survey covers the Akkar, Beirut, Bekaa, Northern Lebanon and most of Mount Lebanon. It measures a monetary poverty of 44 per cent in 2022 in the areas studied. Of the only Lebanese nationals in the same areas, about 33 per cent are Lebanese.
| Indicator | Result | Period and coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Monetary poverty, total population studied | 44 per cent | 2022, five governorates covered by the survey |
| Monetary poverty, Lebanese nationals | About 33% | 2022, same areas |
The difference lies in the population chosen: all residents studied in the first case, the only Lebanese in the second. These results document the situation of 2022 in the areas covered, before subsequent crises.
Reconstitute income, while setting limits
Three founding members of MARSAD have already worked on these challenges. Paul Makdissi, Walid Marrouch and Myra Yazbeck published a methodological study on poverty measurement. She uses Arab Barometer surveys to analyse changes in living standards between 2016 and 2021-2022.
The problem is concrete. Some people report income in a band rather than in a specific amount. Others are not responding. Researchers reconstruct distributions compatible with the available responses and then test several assumptions about missing information.
Their work confirms a sharp deterioration after the crisis. It also outlines limitations: the lack of complete data on household size in certain waves and possible underreporting of transfers received. The estimates therefore depend on the assumptions used to reconstruct the missing information.
In its presentation of this research, the LAU stresses its complementary role. These methods may close intervals between surveys. Their accuracy benefits from regular access to household income and expenditure data.
A team and publications to follow
The observatory includes Ghassan Dibeh, Ali Fakih, Jamal Haidar and Walid Marrouch of the LAU. Paul Makdissi and Myra Yazbeck of the University of Ottawa and Mohamad Khaled of the University of Queensland were among its founders.
MARSAD also provides a course for young researchers, graduate students and recent graduates. The proposed collaborations include joint research and cross-country comparisons. The formats announced range from research articles to data notes and documents for decision makers.
The timetable for the first statistics produced by MARSAD remains to be specified. Future publications will detail the indicators selected and their frequency of updating.
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