Moral Farming of Immoral Tobacco
The Shia Community, The Tobacco Market, and the Future of Lebanon
- 2025
- Buch
- Verfasst von
- Mazen Abboud
- Buchreihe
- Middle East Today
- Verlag
- Springer Nature Switzerland
Über dieses Buch
Über dieses Buch
"Moral Farming of Immoral Tobacco: The Shia Community, the Tobacco Market, and the Future of Lebanon" explores the ethical and operational complexities of managing a controversial industry in a fragile, divided state neighboring war-torn Syria. It argues that in weak states with porous borders and a thriving underground economy, state monopolies on harmful products provide a more responsible alternative to unregulated markets.
The book offers a comprehensive analysis of tobacco's historical, cultural, and political significance in Lebanon, with a focus on its deep-rooted ties to the Shia community. It explores how tobacco shaped Lebanon's political landscape and, in turn, how the country's politics influenced the tobacco sector. The narrative highlights tobacco's integration into Shia identity and examines the interplay between political Shi’ism, the state-owned tobacco monopoly (RLTT), and post-civil war power-sharing arrangements, illustrating how tobacco evolved into both a symbol of resistance and a mechanism for societal stabilization. The RLTT’s strategic responses to regional challenges, including the Syrian crisis and a growing black market, highlight its role in stabilizing Lebanon’s economy amidst state decline.
By linking ethnography, market dynamics, and the failures of anti-tobacco campaigns, the narrative offers a unique lens to understand the complexities of Lebanon's tobacco market within its socio-political framework. This analysis equips readers with theoretical and institutional tools to critically assess the broader implications for Lebanon’s future.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
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Frontmatter
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Chapter 1. Tobacco, Identity, and Power: A Historical and Political Exploration
Mazen AbboudAbstractThis chapter embarks on an extensive exploration of tobacco’s intricate history and its profound influence. It begins with a historical perspective, charting tobacco’s evolution and its transition from a perceived panacea to a polarizing product. We will examine how tobacco emerged in global markets, the rise of tobacco monopolies, and its journey through Arabia and the Ottoman Empire. We will investigate the establishment of Lebanon’s state-owned tobacco monopoly and the historical tobacco uprising. -
Chapter 2. Institutions, Politics, Market Failures and the Tobacco Economy: The Intersection of Legal and Illegal Markets
Mazen AbboudAbstractThis chapter explores the intricate relationship between efficiency, economic and political institutions, and market dynamics, analyzing how political structures shape economic outcomes. Some institutions foster productive organizations and competitive markets, while others perpetuate inefficiency, encourage rent-seeking, and fuel black market expansion. -
Chapter 3. Flourish or Perish: Managing a State-Owned Tobacco Monopoly in Times of Crisis
Mazen AbboudAbstractThis chapter bridges economic theory and real-world applications, using the Régie Libanaise des Tabacs et Tombacs (RLTT) as a case study to examine Lebanon’s tobacco market over the past decade. It explores how the RLTT navigated Lebanon’s volatile institutional landscape, demonstrating adaptability as a key factor in sustaining operations during crises. The analysis highlights the strategic use of the political factors—particularly the connection between political Shi’ism and tobacco—which played a crucial role in sustaining RLTT’s growth and economic efficiency amid institutional failures. -
Chapter 4. Redefining Institutions and Identities: Strategies for Stability, Growth, and Regional Prosperity
Mazen AbboudAbstractThe chapter concludes by distilling key lessons from Lebanon’s experience and offering strategic recommendations for curbing the black market, redefining the role of the state-owned tobacco monopoly, and envisioning a more sustainable economic future. It presents a framework for a new Shia identity within Lebanon’s evolving social and political landscape, emphasizing the need for a revised social contract that fosters stability, inclusivity, and economic resilience. -
Backmatter
- Titel
- Moral Farming of Immoral Tobacco
- Verfasst von
-
Mazen Abboud
- Copyright-Jahr
- 2025
- Verlag
- Springer Nature Switzerland
- Electronic ISBN
- 978-3-031-97423-6
- Print ISBN
- 978-3-031-97422-9
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-97423-6
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