More

The 5th edition of the yearly LIMS Leaders’ Academy (LLA) was opened to prominent grassroots organizations working for change in Lebanon. 87 activists belonging to 42 different groups from across Lebanon gathered for a 2-day workshop. Many activists met for the first time and they all interacted and worked together. More

LIMS organized a roundtable aimed at suggesting alternatives to the subsidies program. The conference gathered opinion leaders including 11 experts, 8 journalists, 7 academics, 6 think tank leaders, 5 businessmen and More

LIMS, through its president Dr. Patrick Mardini, participated in three meetings organized by the joint parliamentary committee to discussestablishing Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in Lebanon. Meetings included MPs, ministers, representatives from the ministries of Industry, Agriculture, and Finance, representatives from the Tripoli Special Economic Zone (TSEZ), More

27 leading activists belonging to 22 major grassroots movements involved in the 2020 protests completed LIMS’ Leaders Academy (LLA) out of 99 initially enrolled. This year’s policy fair and graduation also hosted 22 young, high-achieving staff belonging to 7 leading political parties, who completed the 2019 edition but did not have the opportunity to present their policy papers and graduate because of the protests and the COVID-19 More

LLA 101 – Economic Foundations of Prosperity

The 4th edition of our yearly LIMS Leaders Academy (LLA) gathered 11 senior staff members from 7 different political parties for a 2-day workshop. They discussed the government’s recovery plan, the implications of the Lebanese economic crisis, obstacles to businesses and investments in Lebanon, the consequences of the recently adopted price controls on the economy, and the impact of high levels of public sector employment. Expert speakers from Bahrain, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Turkey More

Creating the conditions for liberty to thrive—and then marketing their ideas to growing audiences—is fundamental to the success of the African liberty movement. During the second and final day of the 2020 Africa Liberty Forum, panelists and commenters alike agreed that think tank leaders and aspiring liberty activists must work together to protect the freedom to trade,

More

45 experts, academics, and civil society activists from 9 MENA countries attended the 3-day workshop organized by the Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) on public policy writing. LIMS’ Programs Manager Ms. Eliane Badawy cooperated with other participants and learned about drafting policies from identifying the problems, to building alternatives, applying the policies, to following up and assessing them. More

Part 2 of the Freedom Audit gathered 76 businesspeople, academics, and activists in a roundtable discussion to recommend ways to push Lebanon out of the current economic crisis. Mr. McMahon and Dr. Walker examined the country’s ranking on the Economic Freedom of the World Index published by the Fraser Institute. More

On the 1-month anniversary of the countrywide Lebanese protests, the Lebanese Institute for Market Studies—LIMS, held a Freedom Audit in partnership with the Fraser Institute and Atlas Network. The event took place at the protest and attracted over 250 activists, academics, and protesters with Mr. Fred McMahon and Dr. Michael Walker as speakers. More

6 civil society organizations attended the 2-day workshop hosted by Quantum Group to learn about the importance of social media presence and its practices. The company assessed LIMS’ marketing existence on social media, as well as other organizations using case study techniques.

More

LIMS President Dr. Patrick Mardini and Director Ms. Kristelle Mardini attended the Atlas annual Liberty Forum and Freedom Dinner 2019. The 2-day event gathered over 800 people from 50 countries to share challenges and experiences on how to effectively advance market reforms. More

Dr. Mardini discussed the difference between Bitcoin and Libra. He showed how Bitcoin is struggling to become a generally accepted means of payment for small daily transactions. The Lightning Network resolves some technical limitations, but is still unable to transform Bitcoin into base money. More

In many Asian and African countries, infrastructure is poor and people suffer from daily electricity outages, defective water and sanitation systems, as well as insufficient roads with continuous traffic jams, just to name a few issues. China, on the other hand, suffers from the opposite: ghost cities, empty highways, useless metros, trains, and airports. More

The Association of Lebanese Business-people in the World gathered 40 local entrepreneur and opinion leaders with the American Task Force for Lebanon, to discuss the barriers holding Lebanese prosperity and their vision for the country. In this context, LIMS director, Ms. Kristelle Mardini explained how LIMS sees the electricity sector divided into three:

More

Dr. Mardini obtained the Lynch Fellowship to attend the annual Acton University conference and to learn more about the intersection of faith, liberty, and free-market economics in efforts of promoting a virtuous and non-violent society in Lebanon. The 4-day event brought together more than 1000 liberty-loving friends with 60 distinguished speakers and scholars, leaders, and entrepreneurs from 70 different countries. More

120 Entrepreneurs, decision-makers and journalists from 6 countries gathered to discuss the regulatory obstacles facing businesses in the Great Lakes. Dr. Patrick Mardini retraced the relation between economic freedom and the reduction of poverty. Countries belonging to the highest quartile of economic freedom live 15 years longer, have 8x less infant mortality, and profit from a higher life satisfaction.

More

LIMS director, Kristelle Mardini, attended this year’s Europe Liberty Forum- ELF 2019 organized by Atlas Network in Athens, Greece. The 2 day-event shattered all previous liberty forum records with over 200 attendees from more than 40 countries.

More

In a 2-day workshop, 7 non-governmental organizations gathered to shed light on the importance of transparency and accountability in the process of developing the government’s budget. LIMS’ Policy Analyst, Mrs. Eliane Badawy stressed the importance of convincing government to decrease spending instead of increasing taxes in the upcoming 2019 budget.

More

Over 270 people gathered in Colombo, Sri Lanka for a 2-day event focused on how a rich history of liberty helped reduce poverty in the region, and how to continue this legacy for the future.

More

Local and international NGO’s gathered at LIMS’ offices to discuss women’s role in counter-radicalization. NGOs presented their work and some of their accomplishments in the related field.

More

LIMS released a policy paper that highlighted the need for water reform in Lebanon, in a press conference that gained nationwide media attention. All major news outlets attended the conference More

64 participants from 18 countries gathered in Antigua to interact, network, and develop projects able to achieve peace and prosperity. Experts from top universities across the world worked More

In a series of presentations at the Francisco Marroquín University, Dr. Patrick Mardini discussed the impact of sectarian/religious institutions on Lebanon’s economic situation.

More

Ms. Mardini attended the 4th edition of the Arab Liberty Festival along with Arab policy experts, economists, entrepreneurs and decisions makers from 8 different countries. More

LIMS Director Ms. Kristelle Mardini participated in the Think Tank Empowerment Program, with 8 think tanks from 8 countries. She talked about the work LIMS is doing in Lebanon, putting focus on the proposed electricity solution.

More

In Islamabad, 600 participants and international speakers from 12 different countries gathered to discuss how Islam is compatible with economic freedom. Senior Policy Analyst Mr. Majdi Aref showed that

More

The Democratic Renewal Party welcomed 1 MP, 3 ministers, 25 experts and academics to project Lebanon’s future in light of CEDRE. LIMS’ Director Ms. Kristelle Mardini and Senior Policy Analyst Mr. Majdi Aref cautioned on the dangers of further increasing public debt to finance infrastructure, especially since the private sector can provide equity finance and ensure much better management of the projects. They also explained that countries who relied on increasing debt like Greece have failed, whereas others that liberated the economy such as the UK flourished. LIMS has suggested that these reforms mentioned above, be implemented before the CEDRE loans are released. 

More

Atlas Liberty Forum brought together over 700 people from 56 countries to discuss shared challenges and to learn from one another about how to most effectively advance market reforms.

More

Several Universities in Lebanon hosted LIMS guest,  Mr. Ross Marchand, the director of policy for the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, to discuss regulatory reforms in Lebanon. Mr. Marchand talked to more than 60 students about the unintended consequencesand the reach of regulation;

Earlier in 2018, the Lebanese government held a conference asking international donors for $17 billion in loans, as a means to fund infrastructure projects and promising structural reforms in return.

LIMS held a workshop entitled “Lebanese MPs Facing the 2019 Budget Challenge” under the patronage of the speaker Nabih Berri, represented by Minister of State for Administrative Reforms in caretaker government Dr. Inaya Ezzeddine, with a group of MPs: Antoine Pano, Kassem Hashem, Henry Helo, Nawaf Al-Mousawi, Adnan Traboulsi, Chamel Roukoz, Ali Darwish, Fadi Alameh, Imad Wakim, Eddy Abi Lamaa, Sami Fatfat, and numerous consultants, experts, and public managers. More

Dr. Patrick Mardini was invited by the Adam Smith Center in Singapore, to discuss the future of blockchain and finance. He retraced the monetary origins of the business cycle and explained the challenges facing the central bank, in the conduct of monetary policy. More

LIMS movement is growing in Lebanon and open to new ideas and approached for strong pro-Liberty actions. LIWC introduced current libertarian points of interest to the already oriented audience. More

Dr. Mardini presented empirical evidence showing that Bitcoin behaves like commodities. He then investigated the intrinsic value of the cryptocurrency and focused on its ability to More

LIMS president, Dr. Patrick Mardini, discussed the importance of economic freedom at the Northeastern University in China with a group of scholars, policy analysts, and students. More

Lebanon has 18 recognized sects, including Christian, Shia, Sunni, and Druze. Since the country’s independence in 1943, seats in the Lebanese parliament have been allocated by sect and most Lebanese political parties are religious by nature. More

LIMS Director Kristelle Mardini, was invited to the Democratic Renewal Movement roundtable along with Lebanon’s top economists and experts to discuss what’s needed to trigger growth. Ms. Mardini questioned CEDRE’s proposed solutions and described them More

LIMS participated in a two-day workshop on policy writing and advocacy organized by the Project on Middle East Democracy – (POMED). LIMS’ staff brainstormed, interacted, and debated with the POMED team and different participants on defining policy problems, More

During his visit to Lebanon, Prof Garello met two members of the political bureau of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), after the conference. The discussion was an attempt to understand the political tensions hindering real reforms in the electricity sector, and to explore ways to overcome obstacles. He explained how More

LIMS hosted Ms. Li Zhao Schoolland, a freedom champion from China, and Mr. Ken Schoolland, the director of the Entrepreneurship Center at Hawaii
Pacific University, for four roundtables with political parties. Ms. Zhao Schoolland discussed the transition of China from communism and famine, to capitalism and prosperity, while Mr. Schoolland emphasized on More

Dr. Patrick Mardini and Mr. Majdi Aref were invited to discuss the role of  locally grown think tanks, in the broader field of international development. The event was hosted by Eirene Associates at the Ibn Tofail University in Morocco. Both Dr. Mardini and Mr. Aref insisted on the negative effects government intervention has on economic growth and freedom.

At the Arab Liberty Festival’s gala dinner, LIMS was awarded the 2017 Regional Liberty Award for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, for the “Legalize Electricity in Lebanon” campaign. More

Dr. Patrick Mardini related rent-seeking behavior and bad infrastructure in Lebanon, to the need of maintaining peace. He stressed on the importance of working with policymakers, in order to achieve tangible market-friendly results. More

Mr. Majdi Aref discussed effective ways to promote economic freedom in the Arab World, with 18 activists from different civil society groups in the MENA region. He emphasized the importance of producing policy research and engaging youth from political parties in the advocacy process. The  workshop was organized by the Arab Center for Scientific Research and Humane Studies.

Ms. Nour Bou Malhab was invited by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation to discuss the situation of trade in Lebanon. Ms. Bou Malhab highlighted tariff and non-tariff barriers, argued for the importance of free trade, and
suggested novel ideas for reforms.

Unity is strength! Ms. Kristelle Mardini, was invited by POMED Tunisia, to discuss “Building Alliances and Ensuring Their Sustainability” with participants from across the Middle East and North Africa. More

Dr. Patrick Mardini was invited by the Atlas Network to discuss ways for advancing liberty in Lebanon. He laid out a general framework for analyzing the Lebanese sectarian-political system and discussed market-oriented solutions for the daily 12-hour power outages.

Ms. Kristelle Mardini was invited by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for  a 12-day workshop at the International Academy for Leadership (IAF). Ms. Mardini brainstormed with 24 policy activists from across the world, on the visibility, consistency, ecacy, and success of environmental solutions promoted over the past years.

Dr. Mardini highlighted the poor ranking of Lebanon on the indices of transparency and corruption. He related rent-seeking behavior and the bad infrastructure in Lebanon, to the need of maintaining peace. Mr. Aref suggested to keep the government out of the business sector, in order to reduce corruption.

For Dr. Mardini, Lebanon’s accession to the WTO is a safeguard against protectionist policies. Increasing the prices of imported goods, will increase the cost for local industries, services, and agriculture. They are a tax on the poor and they make Lebanon less competitive. Mr. Majdi Aref illustrated the importance of trade, with examples from Hong Kong and Singapore.

Seventy percent of the Lebanon’s freshwater is contaminated
with sewage. The impact on potable water, fishery, and
farming is growing every day, leading to health problems,
ban on Lebanese agricultural exports, and general distrust in
local products. Dr. Mardini argued that this is a standard
example of the tragedy of the commons, and suggested the
privatization of water.

See Photos

Dr. Mardini reminded PhilOrient participants that in ancient times, the  ruler was considered an All-Knowing God. Today, we know that people  running the government are neither gods nor all-knowing. Even with the best intentions, the unintended consequence of their actions is harmful.  The market however, has the ability to force all kind of individuals to serve each other in order to prosper.

Mrs. Souad Adnane from the ACSR, delivered a training seminar to LIMS staffs on fundraising, strategic planning, and project management. LIMS was selected along with 3 other think tanks from the region, to take part in this project.

Dr. Mardini showed how bureaucracy goes hand-in-hand with monopolies, compulsory payment, taxes, and abusing the client. He then compared bureaucracy, to the service provided in a competitive market with voluntary payment and choice. This was part of a lecture series delivered by Dr.  Mardini to students, academics and business leaders in the Shenyang  region in China.

Dr. Mardini endorsed Simpson’s argument against the idea that
government intervention is needed to correct externalities. Dr. Mardini argued that limited government intervention, will inevitably open the door for additional interference and distortion. He illustrated the example of Lebanon that progressively moved from a free market economy in the 50s, to socialist policies in the 60s, and ended up in a civil war.

LIMS hosted Dr. Tom G. Palmer, the George M. Yeager Chair for Advancing Liberty and Executive Vice President for International Programs at the Atlas Network, to discuss the feasible economic reforms and win-win solutions with Lebanese policymakers. Dr. Palmer illustrated More

Dr. Mardini discussed the Syrian refugee crisis in Lebanon and argued for allowing the Syrian refugees to open businesses and work freely. Syrians would reduce the cost of production, allow Lebanon More

Dr. Patrick Mardini explored the moral and theological foundations of a free and virtuous society at Acton University 2017. The event gathered over 1000 faith-based leaders, business and economic leaders, entrepreneurs, academics, nonprofit and development leaders, small business leaders, and students representing 70+ countries.

The current government monopoly on electricity in Lebanon is a vehicle  used by a part of the ruling elite to generate rent, limit competition, and  provide their coalition with exclusive access to EDL’s jobs and contracts. Dr. Mardini explored the possibility of striking a Coasian contract to allow more access to the electricity market in Lebanon.

Dr. Mardini was invited to a roundtable hosted by the Lebanese Kataeb, to discuss Lebanon’s budget and to suggest solutions for the fiscal deficit. The use of privatization and public-private partnerships was suggested, as ways to upgrade the level of infrastructure, without amplifying the deficit and debt. Special emphasis was placed on electricity.

LIMS broadcasted a presentation on December 14, 2015 of a policy paper on the “Zero Dollar” Cost for Electricity’s Twin Deficit problem in Lebanon”. The policy paper had won the first prize of the best policy paper in the MENA region at the Averroes Academy for Freedom and Democracy. It was also presented in Rabat, Morroco, on November 28, 2015. The presentation was followed by tips for freedom activists in the MENA region on how to write a winning policy paper.

LIMS was rewarded the think best tank “project” in the MENA region at the First Arab Liberty Festival. The event was organized by the Arab Center for Scientific Research and Humane Studies in Marrakesh, Morocco. The festival included participation from countries such as Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Mali, Syria, Oman, and Turkey.