Perceptions of Stakeholders on the Financial and Economic Crisis in Lebanon: An In-depth Analysis

A.1.1 Section One: Demographic Information

1. What is your gender?

   1. Male

   2. Female

   3. Prefer not to say

2. What is your age?

   1. Under 18

   2. 18–24

   3. 25–34

   4. 35–44

   5. 45–54

   6. 55–64

   7. 65 or above

3. What is your highest level of education completed?

   1. High school or below

   2. Bachelor’s degree

   3. Master’s degree

   4. Ph.D. or equivalent

   5. Other (please specify)

4. What is your approximate annual income?

   1. Less than $10,000

   2. $10,000–$30,000

   3. $30,000–$50,000

   4. $50,000–$100,000

   5. $100,000 or more

5. What region of Lebanon do you live in?

   1. Beirut

   2. Tripoli

   3. Sidon

   4. Tyre

   5. Baalbek

   6. Other (please specify)

A.1.2 Section Two: General Overview of the Situation

On a scale of 1–5, with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest:

1. Please rate the overall impact of political instability on the financial crisis in Lebanon.

2. Please rate the level of government failures’ contribution to the financial crisis in Lebanon.

3. Please rate the significance of excessive public debt as a cause of the financial crisis in Lebanon.

4. Please rate the level of financial mismanagement’s contribution to the financial crisis in Lebanon.

5. Please rate the extent to which financial engineering techniques contributed to concealing the insolvency of the banking industry in Lebanon.

A.1.3 Section Three: Hypothesis Testing

1. Political Instability and Government Failure:

   1. To what extent do you believe political instability has contributed to the financial crisis in Lebanon?

      1. Not at all

      2. To a small extent

      3. To a moderate extent

      4. To a significant extent

      5. To a very significant extent

   2. Have government failures, such as corruption and ineffective governance, played a significant role in exacerbating the crisis?

      1. Yes, definitely

      2. Yes, to some extent

      3. No, not significantly

      4. Not sure

   3. How has the lack of a stable and coherent government affected investor confidence in Lebanon?

      1. Decreased investor confidence significantly

      2. Decreased investor confidence to some extent

      3. No significant impact on investor confidence

      4. Not sure

   4. How would you rate the performance of the government in managing the financial crisis in Lebanon?

      1. Very poor

      2. Poor

      3. Average

      4. Good

      5. Very good

   5. In your opinion, to what extent has political instability affected investor confidence in Lebanon?

      1. Decreased investor confidence significantly

      2. Decreased investor confidence to some extent

      3. No significant impact on investor confidence

      4. Not sure

   6. How would you assess the level of stability and coherence in the government’s decision-making processes during the financial crisis?

      1. Highly unstable and incoherent

      2. Somewhat unstable and incoherent

      3. Moderately stable and coherent

      4. Highly stable and coherent

   7. To what extent do you believe government failures, such as corruption and ineffective governance, have played a role in exacerbating the financial crisis in Lebanon?

      1. Not a significant role

      2. Some role, but not major

      3. Major role

      4. Not sure

2. Excessive Public Debt and Financial Mismanagement:

   1. Do you agree that excessive public debt is a key cause of the financial crisis in Lebanon? If yes, to what extent?

      1. Strongly agree

      2. Agree

      3. Neutral

      4. Disagree

      5. Strongly disagree

   2. How has financial mismanagement, such as irresponsible borrowing and a lack of fiscal discipline, contributed to the crisis?

      1. Significantly contributed

      2. Contributed to some extent

      3. No significant contribution

      4. Not sure

   3. In your opinion, what reforms should be implemented to address the issue of public debt in Lebanon?

      1. Increase taxation

      2. Reduce government spending

      3. Restructure the debt

      4. Seek international financial assistance

      5. Other (please specify)

   4. To what extent do you believe excessive public debt has contributed to the financial crisis in Lebanon?

      1. Not at all

      2. To a small extent

      3. To a moderate extent

      4. To a significant extent

      5. To a very significant extent

   5. How would you rate the level of public debt in Lebanon compared to its sustainable limit?

      1. Well within sustainable limits

      2. Slightly above sustainable limits

      3. Moderately above sustainable limits

      4. Significantly above sustainable limits

      5. Unsustainable

   6. In your opinion, to what extent has financial mismanagement, such as irresponsible borrowing and a lack of fiscal discipline, contributed to the financial crisis in Lebanon?

      1. Significantly contributed

      2. Contributed to some extent

      3. No significant contribution

      4. Not sure

   7. How would you assess the level of transparency and accountability in the management of public funds during the financial crisis in Lebanon?

      1. Highly transparent and accountable

      2. Somewhat transparent and accountable

      3. Moderately transparent and accountable

      4. Lacking transparency and accountability

   8. Do you believe that the lack of fiscal discipline in Lebanon, including excessive government spending, has contributed to the financial crisis?

      1. Yes, significantly

      2. Yes, to some extent

      3. No, not significantly

      4. Not sure

3. Financial Engineering Techniques and Banking Insolvency:

   1. Do you believe that financial engineering techniques employed by central and commercial banks in Lebanon created a Ponzi scheme that concealed the insolvency of the banking industry? Please elaborate.

      1. Yes, definitely

      2. Yes, to some extent

      3. No, not significantly

      4. Not sure

   2. Have there been any instances of questionable practices or misconduct in the Lebanese banking sector that you are aware of?

      1. Yes, multiple instances

      2. Yes, a few instances

      3. No, none that I’m aware of

      4. Not sure

   3. How significant of a role do you think the banking sector’s insolvency has played in the overall financial crisis in Lebanon?

      1. Played a significant role

      2. Played a moderate role

      3. Played a minor role

      4. Not sure

   4. In your opinion, did the use of financial engineering techniques by banks in Lebanon contribute to a false sense of security among depositors and investors?

      1. Yes, definitely

      2. Yes, to some extent

      3. No, not significantly

      4. Not sure

   5. How often do you face difficulties or delays in accessing your bank deposits or transferring money abroad?

      1. Never

      2. Rarely

      3. Sometimes

      4. Often

      5. Always

   6. How comfortable are you with using different exchange rates for different transactions in Lebanon?

      1. Very comfortable

      2. Somewhat comfortable

      3. Neutral

      4. Somewhat uncomfortable

      5. Very uncomfortable

4. Impact of FATCA Implementation:

   1. In your opinion, to what extent has the implementation of the FATCA law in Lebanon contributed to capital flight?

      1. Significantly contributed

      2. Contributed to some extent

      3. No significant contribution

      4. Not sure

   2. How would you assess the impact of the FATCA law on foreign investment in Lebanon?

      1. Led to a significant decrease in foreign investment

      2. Led to a moderate decrease in foreign investment

      3. No significant impact on foreign investment

      4. Not sure

   3. To what extent has FATCA contributed to aggravating the liquidity problem and resulting in currency devaluation in Lebanon?

      1. Significantly aggravated the liquidity problem and resulted in currency devaluation

      2. Exacerbated the liquidity problem but had minimal impact on currency devaluation

      3. No significant impact on either the liquidity problem or currency devaluation

      4. Not sure

   4. How would you rate the overall impact of the FATCA law’s implementation on the Lebanese economy?

      1. Very negative impact

      2. Negative impact

      3. Neutral impact

      4. Positive impact

      5. Very positive impact

5. Future Perspectives:

   1. How optimistic or pessimistic are you about the prospects of Lebanon’s economy and its ability to recover from the financial crisis?

      1. Very optimistic

      2. Somewhat optimistic

      3. Neutral

      4. Somewhat pessimistic

      5. Very pessimistic

   2. In your opinion, what are the key steps that should be taken to overcome the financial crisis and promote economic stability in Lebanon?

      1. Strengthening governance and combating corruption

      2. Implementing comprehensive economic reforms

      3. Attracting foreign investments

      4. Fostering job creation and economic diversification

      5. Other (please specify)