Doing Well by Doing Good: Understanding Hamas's Social Services as Political Advertising

Authors

Ora Szekely, Clark UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Like many nonstate military actors, Hamas has long provided social services to its constituents, but the mechanism by which charity leads to increased public support is poorly understood. This article argues that providing charity benefits nonstate actors not because it isolates recipients or acts as a bribe but because it allows organizations like Hamas to overcome the legacies of their own military activities and extremist ideologies. Service provision allows them to demonstrate that they are not merely soldiers or ideologues, but capable bureaucrats and managers as well.

Publication Title

Studies in Conflict and Terrorism

Publication Date

4-3-2015

Volume

38

Issue

4

First Page

275

Last Page

292

ISSN

1057-610X

DOI

10.1080/1057610X.2014.995565

Keywords

Hamas, nonstate actors, service provision, social services, Palestine, militant groups

Repository Citation

Szekely, Ora, "Doing Well by Doing Good: Understanding Hamas's Social Services as Political Advertising" (2015). Political Science. 105.
https://commons.clarku.edu/faculty_political_science/105