the human province

It's the end of the semester, and most of my students are giving final presentations. Two of my students have been working on the economic consequences of the sit-in, on a micro-level, by interviewing business owners and protesters. At the end of their presentation, the conclusion they came to (fueled by the "Dubai model," I might add) was that in the Middle East, a country needs to choose between democracy and economic livelihood. They seemed torn as to which should be Lebanon's priority, but they agreed that in this neck of the woods, aiming for an economically successful democracy was the same thing as wanting to have your cake and eat it too.

Sometimes this country depresses me more than I can muster the strength to convey...

I heard once that Lebanon's economy, and especially the banking sector, strangely did not follow any of the given wisdom about macroeconomics and conflict during the 15-year civil war. I don't really have anything to back this up with except for a conversation that I don't even fully recall. (If anyone does have any information on this, I'd love to read it.)

That being said, it wouldn't surprise me if it were true, because I see economic verities being brashly thwarted all the time here. My latest example is with cab drivers. Normally, a cab ride should cost me a dollar from pretty much anywhere in Beirut to anywhere. (Foreigners typically have a harder time getting the normal rate, but that's true all the time, and in most places that don't have metered cabs. As a matter of fact, it's also true in some cities that do, like the time I got ripped off in Istanbul coming from the airport because the cabby charged me the night rate.)

Lately, though, it's been hard to find a cab between East and West Beirut for the normal price. Cab drivers keep asking for two dollars (servicein, for fellow Beiruis). The other night, I did the usual haggling dance with a cabby for a ride from Gemayzeh/Mar Mkhail to Hamra. I said one dollar; he insisted on two. When I asked him why, he told me it was because there wasn't anyone around, so he needed to charge more because there were fewer fares lately.

I stopped and thought about this for a second: if there were fewer customers (lower demand) and presumably just as many cabs (equal supply), wouldn't that mean a decrease in the usual fare? Wasn't his logic flying in the face of the basic principles of supply and demand?

Well, yes and no. On paper, I should definitely be paying less than a dollar for that ride. But in the end, I suppose he was right, because I was tired of arguing about it and gave him his two dollars. 

It's the end of the semester, and most of my students are giving final presentations. Two of my students have been working on the economic consequences of the sit-in, on a micro-level, by interviewing business owners and protesters. At the end of their presentation, the conclusion they came to (fueled by the "Dubai model," I might add) was that in the Middle East, a country needs to choose between democracy and economic livelihood. They seemed torn as to which should be Lebanon's priority, but they agreed that in this neck of the woods, aiming for an economically successful democracy was the same thing as wanting to have your cake and eat it too.

Sometimes this country depresses me more than I can muster the strength to convey...

I heard once that Lebanon's economy, and especially the banking sector, strangely did not follow any of the given wisdom about macroeconomics and conflict during the 15-year civil war. I don't really have anything to back this up with except for a conversation that I don't even fully recall. (If anyone does have any information on this, I'd love to read it.)

That being said, it wouldn't surprise me if it were true, because I see economic verities being brashly thwarted all the time here. My latest example is with cab drivers. Normally, a cab ride should cost me a dollar from pretty much anywhere in Beirut to anywhere. (Foreigners typically have a harder time getting the normal rate, but that's true all the time, and in most places that don't have metered cabs. As a matter of fact, it's also true in some cities that do, like the time I got ripped off in Istanbul coming from the airport because the cabby charged me the night rate.)

Lately, though, it's been hard to find a cab between East and West Beirut for the normal price. Cab drivers keep asking for two dollars (servicein, for fellow Beiruis). The other night, I did the usual haggling dance with a cabby for a ride from Gemayzeh/Mar Mkhail to Hamra. I said one dollar; he insisted on two. When I asked him why, he told me it was because there wasn't anyone around, so he needed to charge more because there were fewer fares lately.

I stopped and thought about this for a second: if there were fewer customers (lower demand) and presumably just as many cabs (equal supply), wouldn't that mean a decrease in the usual fare? Wasn't his logic flying in the face of the basic principles of supply and demand?

Well, yes and no. On paper, I should definitely be paying less than a dollar for that ride. But in the end, I suppose he was right, because I was tired of arguing about it and gave him his two dollars. 

It's the end of the semester, and most of my students are giving final presentations. Two of my students have been working on the economic consequences of the sit-in, on a micro-level, by interviewing business owners and protesters. At the end of their presentation, the conclusion they came to (fueled by the "Dubai model," I might add) was that in the Middle East, a country needs to choose between democracy and economic livelihood. They seemed torn as to which should be Lebanon's priority, but they agreed that in this neck of the woods, aiming for an economically successful democracy was the same thing as wanting to have your cake and eat it too.

Sometimes this country depresses me more than I can muster the strength to convey...

I heard once that Lebanon's economy, and especially the banking sector, strangely did not follow any of the given wisdom about macroeconomics and conflict during the 15-year civil war. I don't really have anything to back this up with except for a conversation that I don't even fully recall. (If anyone does have any information on this, I'd love to read it.)

That being said, it wouldn't surprise me if it were true, because I see economic verities being brashly thwarted all the time here. My latest example is with cab drivers. Normally, a cab ride should cost me a dollar from pretty much anywhere in Beirut to anywhere. (Foreigners typically have a harder time getting the normal rate, but that's true all the time, and in most places that don't have metered cabs. As a matter of fact, it's also true in some cities that do, like the time I got ripped off in Istanbul coming from the airport because the cabby charged me the night rate.)

Lately, though, it's been hard to find a cab between East and West Beirut for the normal price. Cab drivers keep asking for two dollars (servicein, for fellow Beiruis). The other night, I did the usual haggling dance with a cabby for a ride from Gemayzeh/Mar Mkhail to Hamra. I said one dollar; he insisted on two. When I asked him why, he told me it was because there wasn't anyone around, so he needed to charge more because there were fewer fares lately.

I stopped and thought about this for a second: if there were fewer customers (lower demand) and presumably just as many cabs (equal supply), wouldn't that mean a decrease in the usual fare? Wasn't his logic flying in the face of the basic principles of supply and demand?

Well, yes and no. On paper, I should definitely be paying less than a dollar for that ride. But in the end, I suppose he was right, because I was tired of arguing about it and gave him his two dollars. 

It's the end of the semester, and most of my students are giving final presentations. Two of my students have been working on the economic consequences of the sit-in, on a micro-level, by interviewing business owners and protesters. At the end of their presentation, the conclusion they came to (fueled by the "Dubai model," I might add) was that in the Middle East, a country needs to choose between democracy and economic livelihood. They seemed torn as to which should be Lebanon's priority, but they agreed that in this neck of the woods, aiming for an economically successful democracy was the same thing as wanting to have your cake and eat it too.

Sometimes this country depresses me more than I can muster the strength to convey...

I heard once that Lebanon's economy, and especially the banking sector, strangely did not follow any of the given wisdom about macroeconomics and conflict during the 15-year civil war. I don't really have anything to back this up with except for a conversation that I don't even fully recall. (If anyone does have any information on this, I'd love to read it.)

That being said, it wouldn't surprise me if it were true, because I see economic verities being brashly thwarted all the time here. My latest example is with cab drivers. Normally, a cab ride should cost me a dollar from pretty much anywhere in Beirut to anywhere. (Foreigners typically have a harder time getting the normal rate, but that's true all the time, and in most places that don't have metered cabs. As a matter of fact, it's also true in some cities that do, like the time I got ripped off in Istanbul coming from the airport because the cabby charged me the night rate.)

Lately, though, it's been hard to find a cab between East and West Beirut for the normal price. Cab drivers keep asking for two dollars (servicein, for fellow Beiruis). The other night, I did the usual haggling dance with a cabby for a ride from Gemayzeh/Mar Mkhail to Hamra. I said one dollar; he insisted on two. When I asked him why, he told me it was because there wasn't anyone around, so he needed to charge more because there were fewer fares lately.

I stopped and thought about this for a second: if there were fewer customers (lower demand) and presumably just as many cabs (equal supply), wouldn't that mean a decrease in the usual fare? Wasn't his logic flying in the face of the basic principles of supply and demand?

Well, yes and no. On paper, I should definitely be paying less than a dollar for that ride. But in the end, I suppose he was right, because I was tired of arguing about it and gave him his two dollars. 

It's the end of the semester, and most of my students are giving final presentations. Two of my students have been working on the economic consequences of the sit-in, on a micro-level, by interviewing business owners and protesters. At the end of their presentation, the conclusion they came to (fueled by the "Dubai model," I might add) was that in the Middle East, a country needs to choose between democracy and economic livelihood. They seemed torn as to which should be Lebanon's priority, but they agreed that in this neck of the woods, aiming for an economically successful democracy was the same thing as wanting to have your cake and eat it too.

Sometimes this country depresses me more than I can muster the strength to convey...

I heard once that Lebanon's economy, and especially the banking sector, strangely did not follow any of the given wisdom about macroeconomics and conflict during the 15-year civil war. I don't really have anything to back this up with except for a conversation that I don't even fully recall. (If anyone does have any information on this, I'd love to read it.)

That being said, it wouldn't surprise me if it were true, because I see economic verities being brashly thwarted all the time here. My latest example is with cab drivers. Normally, a cab ride should cost me a dollar from pretty much anywhere in Beirut to anywhere. (Foreigners typically have a harder time getting the normal rate, but that's true all the time, and in most places that don't have metered cabs. As a matter of fact, it's also true in some cities that do, like the time I got ripped off in Istanbul coming from the airport because the cabby charged me the night rate.)

Lately, though, it's been hard to find a cab between East and West Beirut for the normal price. Cab drivers keep asking for two dollars (servicein, for fellow Beiruis). The other night, I did the usual haggling dance with a cabby for a ride from Gemayzeh/Mar Mkhail to Hamra. I said one dollar; he insisted on two. When I asked him why, he told me it was because there wasn't anyone around, so he needed to charge more because there were fewer fares lately.

I stopped and thought about this for a second: if there were fewer customers (lower demand) and presumably just as many cabs (equal supply), wouldn't that mean a decrease in the usual fare? Wasn't his logic flying in the face of the basic principles of supply and demand?

Well, yes and no. On paper, I should definitely be paying less than a dollar for that ride. But in the end, I suppose he was right, because I was tired of arguing about it and gave him his two dollars. 

It's the end of the semester, and most of my students are giving final presentations. Two of my students have been working on the economic consequences of the sit-in, on a micro-level, by interviewing business owners and protesters. At the end of their presentation, the conclusion they came to (fueled by the "Dubai model," I might add) was that in the Middle East, a country needs to choose between democracy and economic livelihood. They seemed torn as to which should be Lebanon's priority, but they agreed that in this neck of the woods, aiming for an economically successful democracy was the same thing as wanting to have your cake and eat it too.

Sometimes this country depresses me more than I can muster the strength to convey...

I heard once that Lebanon's economy, and especially the banking sector, strangely did not follow any of the given wisdom about macroeconomics and conflict during the 15-year civil war. I don't really have anything to back this up with except for a conversation that I don't even fully recall. (If anyone does have any information on this, I'd love to read it.)

That being said, it wouldn't surprise me if it were true, because I see economic verities being brashly thwarted all the time here. My latest example is with cab drivers. Normally, a cab ride should cost me a dollar from pretty much anywhere in Beirut to anywhere. (Foreigners typically have a harder time getting the normal rate, but that's true all the time, and in most places that don't have metered cabs. As a matter of fact, it's also true in some cities that do, like the time I got ripped off in Istanbul coming from the airport because the cabby charged me the night rate.)

Lately, though, it's been hard to find a cab between East and West Beirut for the normal price. Cab drivers keep asking for two dollars (servicein, for fellow Beiruis). The other night, I did the usual haggling dance with a cabby for a ride from Gemayzeh/Mar Mkhail to Hamra. I said one dollar; he insisted on two. When I asked him why, he told me it was because there wasn't anyone around, so he needed to charge more because there were fewer fares lately.

I stopped and thought about this for a second: if there were fewer customers (lower demand) and presumably just as many cabs (equal supply), wouldn't that mean a decrease in the usual fare? Wasn't his logic flying in the face of the basic principles of supply and demand?

Well, yes and no. On paper, I should definitely be paying less than a dollar for that ride. But in the end, I suppose he was right, because I was tired of arguing about it and gave him his two dollars.