International financial and donor institutions have advocated reduced direct state provision of public goods in developing countries.  But debates about the relationship between the state and civil society suggest that some kinds of NGO activities may undercut state-building and national integration, particularly in divided societies.  This paper presents a preliminary analytical for understanding how service provision by faith-based organizations affects the political behavior and allegiances of citizens

Melani Cammett (PhD, U.C. Berkeley 2002) is Kutayba Alghanim Assistant Professor of Political Economy in the Department of Political Science at Brown University.  She specializes in the political economy of development and the Middle East.  She is currently researching a new book project that focuses on how religious provision of social welfare affects state-building and national integration in the Middle East.  This research is supported by the Academy Scholars Program at Harvard, the Smith Richardson Foundation, the U.S. Institute of Peace and a Solomon Faculty Grant from Brown University.