Enhancing WFP’s Capacity and Experience to Design, Implement, Monitor, and Evaluate Vouchers and Cash Transfer Programmes: Study summary

With support from the Government of Spain, and in partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP), researchers from the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) evaluated four pilot projects to assess the comparative performance of cash transfers, food payments, and vouchers on household food security and other outcomes of interest to WFP. The studies in Ecuador, Uganda, Niger, and Yemen were carried out over the period 2010–2012.

In all countries, an experimental design was used with modalities (cash, food, vouchers) randomly assigned at a locality level. Timing, frequency, and value of transfers were equalized to the extent possible across modalities, thus ensuring that differences in outcomes were attributable to the modality and not other confounding factors. All pilots took place in localities with well-functioning grain markets.

This project summary looks at the findings from these four pilots.