Journal Articles

Bricks and Mortar Clientelism: Sectarianism and the Logics of Welfare Allocation in Lebanon

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In plural societies, social welfare can be a terrain of political contestation, particularly when public welfare functions are underdeveloped and ethnic or religious groups provide basic social services. It is well established that such organizations favor in-group members, but under what conditions do they serve out-group communities? To address this question, the authors compare the welfare programs of the predominantly Sunni Muslim Future Movement and the Shia Muslim Hezbollah in Lebanon. Although they operate under the same institutional rules and economic contexts and boast the largest welfare programs in their respective communities, the Future Movement aims to serve a broader array of beneficiaries, including non-Sunnis, whereas Hezbollah focuses more exclusively on Shia communities. Based on analyses of an original data set of the spatial locations of welfare agencies, qualitative data from interviews with providers and beneficiaries, and case studies of areas where the two parties established and did not establish welfare agencies, the authors argue that distinct political mobilization strategies—whether electoral or nonelectoral—explain different patterns of service delivery across the two organizations.

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Detail Information

Series Title

WORLD POLITICS

Call Number

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Publisher

United Kingdom : Cambridge University Press., 2010

Collation

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Language

English

ISBN/ISSN

00438871

Classification

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Content Type

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Media Type

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Carrier Type

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Edition

Vol. 62, No. 3 July 2010.pp. 381-421

Subject(s)

Sunni Muslim Future Movement
The Shia Muslim Hezbollah in Lebanon

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