Leila Dagher
¼ø»Æʦapp Research Fellow
Professional Affiliation
Founding Director of the Center for Policy Action and Associate Professor of Economics and Policy at the Lebanese American University
Expert Bio
Dr. Leila Dagher is a 2026-2027 ¼ø»Æʦapp Research Fellow.
Dr. Dagher is the Founding Director of the Center for Policy Action and Associate Professor of Economics and Policy at the Lebanese American University. She has also served as an adjunct lecturer at the George Washington University since 2016. Dr. Dagher has published more than 30 peer-reviewed articles and was ranked among the Top 2% Scientists worldwide for 2024 (Stanford/Elsevier list). She currently serves as an editor for Energy Policy and sits on the editorial boards of several academic journals. Her previous roles include Senior Economic Adviser to public officials, Director of the Institute of Financial Economics, and Chairperson of the Department of Economics at the American University of Beirut.
Dr. Dagher’s research focuses on economic and policy issues related to energy, the environment, and financial crises, with a strong emphasis on translating research into actionable policy insights. Her work has appeared in leading academic journals as well as policy-oriented platforms, and she is an active contributor to academic and policy debates. She holds a Bachelor of Engineering from the American University of Beirut and a Ph.D. in Mineral Economics from the Colorado School of Mines. Prior to joining LAU, she spent 15 years at the American University of Beirut and held visiting positions at several institutions including Harvard Kennedy School and the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
¼ø»Æʦapp Project
Fostering Regional Peace through Economic Integration: The Potential of a U.S.-Backed Economic Peace Zone in South Lebanon
Project Summary
My ¼ø»Æʦapp project examines whether a U.S.-backed Economic Peace Zone in South Lebanon could help foster regional peace through economic integration among Lebanon, Syria, and Israel. It explores how cross-border cooperation in sectors such as agro-tech, renewable energy, biotechnology, and logistics could generate shared prosperity while reducing conflict incentives. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study combines policy analysis, interviews, focus groups, trade modeling, and surveys to assess both the economic feasibility and political/social acceptability of such a zone. The project also evaluates how this initiative could advance broader U.S. strategic interests in the region, including stability, reconstruction, and prosperity-based diplomacy. Ultimately, it aims to produce policy-relevant, actionable recommendations for turning economic interdependence into a practical pathway for peace in a historically fragile border region.
