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Monitoring and Evaluation

The flexible and multisectoral nature of cash presents unique challenges when it comes to monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of humanitarian responses. Agreeing and using common indicators will help to ensure we are working together to improve the quality of cash and voucher assistance (CVA).

Most M&E challenges, such as a lack of sufficient investment and capacities, are not specific to CVA. But those that are relate primarily to monitoring outcomes for unrestricted transfers. The flexibility of cash transfers can make it difficult to determine appropriate outcome indicators, as they may involve a combination of sector-specific and cross-cutting indicators. At the same time, there are limitations on gathering accurate data on how cash transfers are spent.

Grand Bargain signatories have committed to ensuring relevant M&E mechanisms are in place for cash, and increasing understanding of the costs, benefits, impacts and risks of cash relative to other modalities. Building on this, the GB cash workstream has action points including the development of common outcome indicators for multipurpose cash, and metrics for analysing value for money. Systematic value for money analysis has been limited by factors including a lack of agreed upon approaches, the need for quality outcome data, and the intensive nature of the analysis.

Current priorities

As part of the Grand Bargain cash commitments, the CALP Network has co-led (with USAID and CRS) the development of Multipurpose Cash Outcome Indicators. The draft for testing is currently available in English, French and Spanish via the library.

Latest

The Mam’out Project: Seasonal Multiannual Cash Transfers for the Prevention of Acute Malnutrition in Tapoa

Report

In response to alarming rates of acute malnutrition, Action Against Hunger (ACF) initiated a project to strengthen and evaluate the prevention of acute malnutrition of children younger than 36 months in the Tapoa province, Burkina Faso. Using seasonal and multiannual unconditional cash transfers, ACF’s...

2016

Mobile Money Transfers – For Humanitarian Assistance & Development Programming: Service Provider Perspective

Report

This report summarizes findings from research on how digital payment services providers in Africa have worked with Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) customers to deliver digital payments to their program participants/beneficiaries in the context of providing humanitarian assistance and/or for...

2016

EMMA on CGI Sheets in Eastern Samar, Philippines

Report

Super Typhoon Haiyan (locally known as Yolanda) made landfall on the 8th of Nov’13 and left a trail of destruction along its path. It is estimated that 14 million people were affected and 4.1 million were displaced in the Philippines as a result of this super typhoon.Eastern Samar province of the...

2016

The Impact of Earned and Windfall Cash Transfers on Livelihoods and Conservation in Sierra Leone

Report

This study by Bulte et al. measures the impact of a cash transfer programme aimed at alleviating poverty and reducing pressure on the natural environment in Sierra Leone. Researchers offered aid to 91 rural communities, which are dependent on slash-and-burn agriculture in three forms: as windfall...

2016

Cash or Food A Comparative analysis of the effectiveness of food assistance modalities in refugee settlements

Report

A comparative analysis on the effective of food and cash transfer modalities for household food security in refugee settlements in Uganda.

2016

Learning Event Report " Getting ready for cash transfer programming"

Report

Despite the rapid, dynamic evolution of cash transfer implementation in West Africa, actors’ lack of preparation means that the tool cannot fulfil its potential. As a result, the scope of interventions remains limited, the combination of different methods is not often envisaged, the most...

2016

International Cash based assistance

Report

For more than 60 years, the United States provided assistance to food-insecure countries primarily in the form of food commodities procured in the United States and transported overseas. In recent years, the U.S.government has increasingly provided food assistance in the form of cash transfers or food...

2016

Cash and Markets In The WASH Sector

Report

Market based programming is increasingly heralded as having a critical place in the future of humanitarian programming. The proposed benefits of working through existing market systems include improvements to speed, efficiency and effectiveness of programming and increased beneficiary dignity and...

2016

Economic Impact of Refugee settlements in Uganda

Report

Uganda is home to close to 800,000 refugees, mostly from South Sudan, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It also has one of the most favorable and progressive refugee assistance programs in the world, with freedom of movement, work rights, and land officially set aside for refugees to...

2016

Can E-transfers Promote Financial Inclusion in Emergencies: A Case Study from Bangladesh

Report

The Electronic Cash Transfer Learning Action Network (ELAN) launched research to build an evidence base around connecting emergency electronic transfer (e-transfer) recipients with additional financial services. They wanted to learn if, when, and how e-transfers can promote sustained uptake and use...

2016

Rapid Assessment for Markets: Bidibidi Refugee Settlement

Report

The Rapid Assessment of Markets (RAM) conducted within the Bidibidi Refugee Settlement and in the surrounding Ugandan towns and trading centres sheds some light upon the rapidly developing network of marketplaces within one of the world’s fastest growing refugee settlements. The RAM highligthed key...

2016

Case Study:Cash-based programming in the food assistance sector

Report

The purpose of this case study is to explore the pattern of innovation in the food supply and distribution area (i.e. not concerned with nutrition). The case raises some key policy issues:  How to foster entrepreneurship and create enabling conditions for small-scale experiments and prototypes? How can...

2016

Market Analysis and Outcome/Impact Measurement in Cash Transfer Programming in the WaSH and Shelter Sectors in Sudden Onset Disasters

Report

Over the past five years, cash transfer programming has become an increasingly popular modality of humanitarian intervention. Recently, unconditional and unrestricted MPGs have been increasingly championed as a default modality, based on evidence collected by organisations such as the...

2016

DFID Shock-Responsive Social Protection Systems research: Literature review

Report

DFID has commissioned research into Shock-Responsive Social Protection systems, to further understand the nature of the interaction between social protection, humanitarian and disaster risk management systems and ways in which long-term social protection systems can be scaled up to
provide support in...

January 2016

Using Cash for Shelter: An Overview of CRS Programs

Report

Cash continues to gain prevalence as a modality for humanitarian agencies to help people meet multiple and diverse needs in the wake of a crisis. It provides people with the dignity of choice, and is often significantly more cost-efficient than the delivery of in-kind aid. In programs with a shelter...

2016

Scale Right: Coordinating Improved Cash Assistance in Greece

Report

Europe is still reeling from the largest refugee crisis it has experienced since World War II. During the first half of 2015 Greece saw an average of 3,000 refugees arriving daily by sea onto the island of Lesvos. While the number of new arrivals—fleeing war in Syria, conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and...

2016