Samhällsservice och legitimitet

Lokala, nationella och regionala spelare i Libanons bristande elförsörjning

Abstract

Service delivery and legitimacy: Local, national, and regional actors in flawed Lebanese electricity provision

By satisfying citizens’ needs, service delivery is considered a tool for creating stability and state legitimacy. However, expectations on service deliveries, and the mix of private, civil society and government actors that characterize its provision matter for who gains legitimacy and how. These questions are put to the fore in divided societies and fragile states where the needs of citizens are satisfied by actors linked to group identities. Lebanon is no stranger to these terms. By taking a closer look at Lebanon’s electricity supply, a sector suffering from insufficient generation and recurrent blackouts, this article examines how and for whom legitimacy is created through service delivery. The article focuses on three examples of how local, national and regional actors act to meet Lebanon’s electricity needs. The examples show how different actors gain legitimacy but also how Lebanon’s electricity provision creates a Lebanese state formed through national, regional and global politics.