Monitoring and Evaluation
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.
Related initiatives
Featured content
Multipurpose Cash Outcome Indicators – Final Draft for Testing
Guidelines and Tools
Note that the MPC indicators have now been revised. Please click here to access the updated Multipurpose Outcome Indicators and Guidance, which is available in Arabic, English, French and Spanish. Multipurpose Cash Outcome Indicators – Final Draft for Testing Multipurpose cash (MPC) is a type of assistance intended to enable people to meet their basic needs through local...
Monitoring 4 CTP: Monitoring Guidance for CTP in Emergencies
Guidelines and Tools
This guidance provides a central resource to promote a common understanding of the most important monitoring considerations for humanitarian projects using cash transfer programming (CTP). The primary audience for this guidance is field-level practitioners, from organisations directly involved in the design, implementation, monitoring, and accountability of projects using cash and vouchers...
Cost-Efficiency Analysis of Basic Needs Programs: Best Practice Guidance for Humanitarian Agencies
Guidelines and Tools
The Efficiency, Effectiveness and Value for Money Sub-Workstream is pleased to share the final output on Cost-Efficiency Analysis of Basic Needs Programs: Best Practice Guidance for Humanitarian Agencies (attached).
Cost-efficiency analysis estimates the ratio of program costs to outputs created, allowing you to compare cost-per-output for programs which all produced the same output. Such...
Thematic lead
Latest
Impacts of the Child Grant Programme (CGP) on the Local Economy in Zambia
Report
In this research brief, local economy-wide impact evaluation (LEWIE) simulation methods are used to assess the likely impacts of cash transfers on the local economy. When the Child Grant Programme (CGP) gives money to beneficiary households, they spend it to buy goods and services. As this cash circulates...
Household Cash Transfer Assessment – Typhoon Haiyan Recovery Response
Report
An estimated 16.1 million people were affected by typhoon Haiyan, with 1.1 million damaged or destroyed homes and as many as 4.1 million people displaced – nearly four times as many as those left homeless by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. At least 6,300 people lost their lives and another 5.9...
2015 State of the Industry Report. Mobile Money
Report
Mobile money is reaching more than 411 million people globally. Moreover, it is available in 85% of countries where the vast majority of the population lacks access to a formal financial institution. This is an extraordinary achievement, demonstrating the power of mobile, underpinned by the critical...
The Price Effects of Cash Versus In-Kind Transfers
Case Study
This paper examines the effect of cash versus in-kind transfers on local prices. Both types of transfers increase the demand for normal goods; in-kind transfers also increase supply in recipient communities, which should cause prices to fall relative to cash transfers. We test and confirm this prediction...
Cheaper, Faster, Better? A case study of new technologies in cash transfers from the Democratic Republic of Congo
Report
Over the past decade, there has been a growing consensus in the humanitarian community that cash, as compared to in-kind aid, is the best form of assistance to provide during an emergency. For families that have been displaced by a crisis or natural disaster, cash offers aid recipients more flexibility...
Humanitarian Innovation: The state of the art
Policy paper
The humanitarian system faces grave challenges, as record numbers of people are displaced for longer periods by natural disasters and escalating conflicts. At the same time new technologies, partners, and concepts allow humanitarian actors to understand and address problems quickly and effectively....
An Impact Evaluation of the 2013-2014 Winter Cash Assistance Program for Syrian Refugees in Lebanon
Report
This report describes the impacts of the winter cash transfer program run by UNHCR and partners from November 2013 to April 2014. The program gave 575 USD via ATM cards to 87,700 registered Syrian refugees in Lebanon with the objective of keeping people warm and dry during cold winter months.
A Guide to Calculating the Cost of Delivering Cash Transfers in Humanitarian Emergencies – With reference to case studies in Kenya and Somalia
Case Study
The emergence of cash transfers as a viable alternative to in-kind aid – such as food or shelter materials – for households affected by humanitarian disasters has been documented for some years now. Under certain conditions, when local markets are able to accommodate increased demand and prices will...
Cash Transfer Programming for Urban Displacement: Lessons learned from electronic-transfers in response to the Syria-crisis
Policy paper
In urban displacement contexts with functioning markets and developed banking systems, humanitarian agencies are increasingly using electronic-transfers (e-transfers) as the preferred cash delivery mechanism. Based on the Danish Refugee Council’s response to the Syria crisis, this Evaluation and...
The Impact of Cash and Food Transfers: Evidence from a randomized intervention in Niger
Case Study
There is little rigorous evidence on the comparative impacts of cash and food transfers on food security and food-related outcomes. This paper assesses the relative impacts of receiving cash versus food transfers using a randomized design. Drawing on data collected in eastern Niger, the paper finds that...
Household Response to Income Changes: Evidence from an unconditional cash transfer program in Kenya
Case Study
This paper studies the response of poor rural households in rural Kenya to large temporary income changes. Using a randomized controlled trial, households were randomly assigned to receive unconditional cash transfers of at least USD 404 from the NGO GiveDirectly. We designed the experiment to address...
Humanitarianism in the Age of Cyber-warfare: Towards the Principled and Secure Use of Information in Humanitarian Emergencies
Report
Humanitarian assistance is driven by information. From early warnings to needs assessments to final evaluations, information determines priorities and resource allocation. In addition, a crisis drives people to collect and share personal information that they otherwise wouldn’t: the names of missing...
The Impact of the Harmonized Social Cash Transfer Programme (HSCT) in Zimbabwe on the Local Economy
Report
Local economy-wide impact evaluation (LEWIE) simulation methods are used to assess the likely impacts of cash transfers on the local economy. When the Harmonized Social Cash Transfer Programme gives money to beneficiary households, they spend it, buying goods and services. As this cash swirls around...
Payment Mechanisms and Anti-Poverty Programs: Evidence from a Mobile Money Cash Transfer Experiment in Niger
Report
Cash transfers have become an increasingly important component of social protection policies in both developed and developing countries. While such programs are often implemented electronically in developed countries, in many developing countries with weak financial infrastructure, such transfers are...
PCPM’s Cash for Shelter Program in Akkar Governorate, Lebanon: Evaluation and lessons learned
Report
The aim of this report is to provide an evaluation of the activities of Polish Centre for International Aid (PCPM) cash for shelter programme in the Akkar district in Lebanon. The evaluation has been focused on the long-term results of the humanitarian aid provided by PCPM to the Syrian refugees in Akkar...
Humanitarian Assistance through Mobile Cash Transfer in Northern Afghanistan: An evaluation of a DFID pilot project in Faryab, Jawzjan, and Samangan
Report
In response to the 2011 severe drought that pushed vulnerable rural households into food insecurity in 14 provinces of Northern Afghanistan, DFID has committed to address emergency needs in northern Afghanistan with nutrition, food security and farming inputs. Samuel Hall Consulting, a Kabul-based...
Policy Brief: Impacts of Unconditional Cash Transfers
Policy paper
This policy paper looks at a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of the unconditional cash transfer program implemented by the NGO GiveDirectly in Western Kenya between 2011 and 2012, in which poor rural households received unconditional cash transfers through the mobile money system M-Pesa. Importantly,...
Child Grants Programme Impact Evaluation Follow-up Report – Executive Summary
Case Study
The Lesotho Child Grants Programme (CGP) is an unconditional social cash transfer targeted to poor and vulnerable households. It provides every quarter a regular transfer of between M360 and M7501 to poor households with children that are selected through a combination of Proxy Means Testing (PMT) and...
Understanding the Interaction Between Women’s Economic Empowerment and Gender Based Violence: Study on ACF’s cash transfer programme in northern Uganda
Report
This paper presents findings of a qualitative study conducted in Northern Uganda, on the effects of a cash transfer programme on gender relations and GBV in a post – conflict context. The intervention in focus is Action Against Hunger |ACF International (ACF)’s ‘Combating Gender Based Violence and...
Child Grants Programme Impact Evaluation Follow-up Report
Report
The Lesotho Child Grants Programme (CGP) is an unconditional social cash transfer targeted to poor and vulnerable households. It provides every quarter a regular transfer of between M360 and M7501 to poor households with children that are selected through a combination of Proxy Means Testing (PMT) and...