Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/273917 
Authors: 
Year of Publication: 
2022
Series/Report no.: 
WIDER Working Paper No. 2022/130
Publisher: 
The United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER), Helsinki
Abstract: 
As COVID-19 spread worldwide, armed groups in control of territory were called to address the health emergency. However, our knowledge in this regard is limited. Specifically, it remains poorly understood why different armed groups responded to the crisis differently. Recognizing this lacuna, this paper aims to illuminate the responses that different armed groups throughout the Middle East implemented in order to address COVID-19 and to explain why armed groups responded to the pandemic as they did. After studying three examples, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Houthis, and Hamas, the paper argues that the intensity of the conflict does not account satisfactorily for variations observed in COVID-19 responses among the groups. Conversely, ultimate goals, financial resources, and governance experience contribute to explaining the observed patterns of COVID-19 response.
Subjects: 
armed groups
COVID-19
Middle East
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham
Houthis
Hamas
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
ISBN: 
978-92-9267-263-8
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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