Abstract/Summary

While many studies have looked at the impact of governments’ policies on the development of urban services for society little has been said about operating in a country in, what Agamben (2005) calls, a ‘state of exception’ (a condition where laws are suspended). With its weak governance and sectarian regime, this thesis argues that Lebanon is characterised by a condition of exception. This study explores the management of solid waste in Lebanon, with particular interest in how recycling operators deliver their services and as a result contributes insights applicable to the better planning and management of urban services and facilitation of local entrepreneurial energies. Conclusions were drawn from analysis of four cases of recycling operators working in Lebanon in two different settings: a refugee camp and urban areas. The investigation involved developing a new theoretical lens (i.e., strategic-institutional legitimacy building process) through which to observe and characterise the forces acting on recycling operators and how they react by adapting and coping within a condition of exception. The results suggest that recycling operators harnessed deficiencies in the existing solid waste management system by searching for these gaps and by attempting to fill them so as to respond to society’s needs. Some recycling operators introduce waste activities and campaigns to influence and induce collaboration with existing solid waste management systems. Other operators prioritise their conformance to existing societal structures to remain inconspicuous. This thesis argues that under a condition of exception, recycling operators build legitimacy by way of interpretations, negotiations, and contestations in order to continue working in the existing system without having to change it. It suggests that legitimacy theories may miss the extent to which such strategies (interpretations, negotiations, and contestations) devised by local actors can underpin processes of building and maintaining their legitimacy and as a result can be (in)consistent with managing better urban services.