Background & Rationale

Rapid digital transformations, artificial intelligence advancements, and the global shift towards green energy are reshaping labor markets in unprecedented ways. In both Lebanon and Egypt, these dynamics are exposing the fragility of existing social protection systems—systems that are fragmented, underfunded, and ill-equipped to meet the challenges of the future of work. Vulnerable populations, including low-skilled workers, informal laborers, and marginalized communities, are disproportionately affected by these labor market shifts. The FORWARD project is designed to bridge the gap between current social protection frameworks and the emerging needs of a rapidly evolving world of work, ensuring that policy responses are timely, inclusive, and evidence-based.

About the Project

Project FORWARD project is a comparative study focused on Lebanon and Egypt. By leveraging a mixed-method research approach—including extensive quantitative surveys, qualitative interviews, and validation workshops—the project will generate critical, policy-oriented insights into the interplay between labor market transformations and social protection systems. Our multidisciplinary team, composed of experts in political science, sociology, economics, and gender studies, will analyze the impact of digitalization, de-carbonization, and neoliberal economic policies - knowing their interconnectedness - on the future of work, while situating social protection policies therein. The study is committed to transparency and open research practices, with all raw data and methodologies made publicly available to promote reproducibility and foster further academic inquiries.

Project Objectives

• Generate Evidence-Based Insights: Produce a comprehensive analysis of how digital and green/ energy transitions, and their interaction with neoliberal policies, are transforming labor markets relations and affecting social protection systems in Lebanon and Egypt.
• Identify Gaps and Challenges: Pinpoint deficiencies in current social protection systems and highlight their disproportionate impact on vulnerable and marginalized populations.
• Inform Policy Reforms: Develop actionable policy recommendations to create universal, adaptable, and resilient social protection systems that effectively respond to labor market disruptions.
• Promote Inclusivity: Ensure that the study’s findings capture the intersectional dimensions of vulnerability, with a specific focus on gender, age, socio-economic status, and geographic disparities.
• Enhance Stakeholder Engagement: Organize consultation workshops and a high-level regional policy forum to validate and disseminate findings, and catalyze change among policymakers, civil society, and international actors.

Project Outputs

• Comprehensive Research Report: A detailed report featuring diagnostic and prescriptive segments, including an executive summary, policy recommendations categorized by stakeholder, and infographics to highlight key data points.
• Open Data and Research Materials: Open access publication of the raw quantitative dataset, survey instruments, codebook, methodological framework, and anonymized qualitative interview transcripts, adhering to FAIR data principles.
• Academic and Policy Publications: Submission of a tweaked version of the study to a Q1-ranked international peer-reviewed journal, ensuring high academic outreach and long-term impact.
• Regional Policy Forum: Organization of a high-impact forum where study findings will be presented and discussed with experts, civil society, government officials, and international organizations, facilitating direct policy influence.

Project Partners

Our research is enriched by strong partnerships with key organizations, namely ones in our established networks within the Arab Region Hub for Social Protection, and collaborations with trusted surveying agencies. These partnerships ensure that our methodology is robust, inclusive, scalable, and participatory, drawing on both global expertise and local stakeholder insights to drive actionable policy change.

Project Sponsors

• The Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs (IFI): Located at the American University of Beirut, IFI is a premier institution renowned for fostering impactful public policy research and dialogue.
• The FutureWORKS Collective: Funded by IDRC-Canada, this consortium of research organizations—led by the JustJobs Network—drives forward-thinking research on the future of work and social protection, ensuring that policy recommendations are both innovative and practically grounded.

This initiative is financially supported by the IFI, through the IDRC-funded FutureWORKS Collective.