As part of a reform of the water sector in Lebanon, the first attempt of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in Lebanon was conducted from 2003 to 2007. Ondeo-Liban, a subsidiary of the multinational Suez-Environment, was contracted to manage the drinking water service in the area of responsibility of the Tripoli Water Authority - which was later incorporated into the North Lebanon Water Establishment. The objective of the contract was to improve domestic water supply services in Tripoli and its suburbs while modernizing the public administration, which, until then, was unable to ensure proper service and was in very bad financial conditions. The Lebanese context is deeply marked by clientelism and cronyism and privatization has often been conducted for the benefit of economic and political elites. My presentation seeks to understand the interactions between the private firm and local elites during this time. Because literature on delegation of water management in developing countries often focuses on institutional aspects, through this case study, I would like to bring the politics back into the analysis and try to understand how the introduction of a private actors does, or does not affect clientelist networks.
