Good Samaritans with big bucks: How funding sources and organizational identities shape the behavior of humanitarian organizations

Even when faced with the same humanitarian crisis, it appears quite puzzling how different humanitarian organizations respond so differently to the same situation and needs on the ground. This research project aims to answer the question of what explains the variation in the behavior of different humanitarian organizations in response to humanitarian crises during armed conflicts. Drawing on different strands of organization theory, this thesis proposes two competing hypotheses that distinguish between external and internal factors as main determinants of the variation in organizational behavior. Combing quantitative analysis of budgetary data with interviews with representatives of different international humanitarian organizations working in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the results show that not external demands and resources but institutionalized rules, typifications, and identities are the main determinant of the variation in behavior. While donors might have some influence on humanitarian organizations, this power is far less wide reaching than expected.