Nonprofit Service Provision by Insurgent Organizations: The Cases of Hizballah and the Tamil Tigers

Based on field research in Lebanon and Sri Lanka, this article discusses the ways in which Hizballah and the LTTE use nonprofit service provision as a tool for increasing community support. The article compares the organizations’ goals for service provision and specific structures of service provision. The difference in resources and capacity between the two organizations has shaped the structure of service provision used by each organization. Whereas Hizballah autonomously operates a sophisticated group of nongovernmental organization (NGO) service providers, the LTTE has developed an elaborate system for controlling and channeling the resources of existing local and international NGO service providers.