Implementing Environmental Policy in Lebanon’s Water Sector: A Whole-of-Society Analysis

Lebanon, active on the international environmental front, paradoxically faces a national water crisis: shortages and degrading quality. The issue lies not in the lack of environmental policies, but in their implementation. The ‘whole-of-society’ (WoS) approach, which emphasises collaboration among all actors, is recognised as a potential solution. However, it remains untransposed to the national context and poor policy implementation is explained in a linear logic, rather than as interconnected variables forming feedback loops. This research argues that water management, policy implementation, and actor involvement form a triangular system that must be addressed holistically. Adopting the system-thinking approach explains the complexity by the principle that observed behaviours result from causal loops created by the interdependence of variables. Through actor mapping and the building of a causal loop diagram based on literature review and textual analysis, it reveals that actors are organised as a top-down hierarchy that struggles to function, with limited cooperation and coordination and overlapping responsibilities, so local-level action is the only balancing force with regard to the water deficit. The research highlights the application of WoS in developing countries where implementation issues in relation to actors’ interaction is rarely addressed. It provides recommendations for connecting relevant actors within a fragmented system.