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
Comparative Review of Market Assessments Methods, Tools, Approaches and Findings
Guidelines and Tools
Against a backdrop of climate change, global economic crises and commodity market volatility, food security experts are increasingly interested in deepening their understanding of how markets work. In 2011, the CALP Network commissioned this study, which aimed to assess how we are currently analyzing...
Impact Evaluation of Cash and Food Transfers for the Seasonal Emergency Safety Net in Hajjah and Ibb Governorates, Yemen Endline Report
Report
This report is the final impact evaluation of the World Food Programme’s Cash and Food transfer program in Yemen. The program operated in Hajjah and Ibb governorates within the larger Emergency Safety Net (ESN), which provides assistance to qualifying households in rural Yemen. The report details the...
Gatekeepers in Mogadishu: Research Consultancy
Report
Since 2011 the Somalia Cash Consortium has been implementing large-scale unconditional cash transfers (UCTs) under the Food Assistance to Vulnerable Households in South Central Somalia. Members of the Consortium have been confronted with the challenge of having to negotiate security and access to IDP...
CRS’ Emergency Flooding Response in Benin
Report
In response to flash flooding in northern Benin and widespread flooding in the southern departments of the country, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) organised 4 “humanitarian fairs” to meet the immediate needs of households most seriously affected. These fairs were unique in that they incorporated three...
E-transfers in Emergencies: Implementation support guidelines
Guidelines and Tools
Electronic transfers, or e-transfers, are a form of value transfer that relies on digital payment systems. The great many benefits they can realise for aid recipients and aid agencies alike in terms of increased security, convenience, privacy, speed, reduced operational/transaction costs and logistics,...
Children and Economic Strengthening Programmes Maximising Benefits and Minimising Harm
Guidelines and Tools
This guide is designed for practitioners designing or implementing economic strengthening (ES) programs in low-income settings that are sensitive to the protection needs and well-being of vulnerable children. The guide provides an overview of key learning about how ES can achieve better outcomes and...
Impact Evaluation of Cash and Food Transfers at Early Childhood Development Centers in Karamoja, Uganda
Report
This report is a revised draft of the Final Impact Report of an impact evaluation study of the World Food Programme (WFP) project to provide food and cash transfers to households with children participating in Early Childhood Development (ECD) centers in the Karamoja sub region of Uganda. The analysis...
Evaluation Study Support to Life’s Response to Syrian Refugee Crisis, 2012 & 2013
Report
This report is part of enhancing Support to Life’s organisational learning on its Syrian Refugee Programme in Turkey. The specific objective of the evaluation is to present the findings on the achievements, quality and overall impact of Support to Life’s humanitarian response of the Syrian refugee...
Gender Impact Analysis: Unconditional cash transfers in South Central Somalia
Report
The Cash Consortium is a group of four NGOs (ACF, Adeso, DRC and Save the Children) that came together in mid-2011 to coordinate their aid response and use unconditional cash grants to meet the basic food and non-food needs of the most vulnerable households in South Central Somalia. The primary objective...
Cash, Food, or Vouchers? Evidence from a randomized experiment in Northern Ecuador
Report
The debate over whether to provide food assistance and the form that this assistance should take has a long history in economics. Despite the ongoing debate, little rigorous evidence exists that compares food assistance in the form of cash versus in-kind. This paper uses a randomized evaluation in...
Humanitarian Coalition East Africa Drought Appeal: Final Evaluation – Somalia
Report
In 2011, Somalia suffered from one of the worst droughts in 60 years which left more than 13 million people in need of food, water and emergency healthcare. Canadian donors contributed $14 million to the Humanitarian Coalition’s joint appeal for East Africa’s drought of 2011. These funds helped to...
Humanitarian Coalition East Africa Drought Appeal: Final evaluation report – Cash programs
Report
In 2011, suffered from one of the worst droughts in 60 years which left more than 13 million people in need of food, water and emergency healthcare. Canadian donors contributed $14 million to the Humanitarian Coalition’s joint appeal for East Africa’s drought of 2011. These funds helped to set up...
Humanitarian Coalition East Africa Drought Appeal: Final evaluation report
Report
In 2011, suffered from one of the worst droughts in 60 years which left more than 13 million people in need of food, water and emergency healthcare. Canadian donors contributed $14 million to the Humanitarian Coalition’s joint appeal for East Africa’s drought of 2011. These funds helped to set up...
Humanitarian Exchange: Special feature. New learning in cash transfer programming
Report
The special feature of this issue of Humanitarian Exchange, co-edited with Sarah Bailey and Breanna Ridsdel, focuses on new learning in cash transfer programming. While cash is now an accepted tool, and is increasingly being used in humanitarian response, most programmes are small and gaps in analysis and...
Impacts of Food Vouchers on Local Markets: Reflections from CRS’ experience in Niger
Report
In mid 2010, CRS-Niger designed and carried out a food voucher program to assist the most needy one-third of households in the departments of Ouallam and Tillabéri due to the poor harvest in 2009 (CRS, 2010). The ADVANCE project was implemented in collaboration with a local NGO partner Association pour...
What Cash Transfer Programming can do to Protect Children – Discussion Paper
Report
This discussion paper examines the links between cash transfers and the positive and negative outcomes for children, in particular the role cash transfers have played in protecting children from harm, exploitation, abuse and violence. The objective of this paper is to identify ways in which cash transfer...
Transparency International Kenya: Food Assistance Integrity Study
Report
The Food Assistance Integrity Study highlights various food approaches in Kenya with the aim of enhancing integrity, accountability, efficiency and cost effectiveness in the implementation of food assistance programs. The study uncovered evidence of critical flaws in the food assistance chain and...
How to Conduct a Trader Survey?
Guidelines and Tools
The purpose of this technical guidance sheet is to provide guidance to WFP Country Office and partner staff in conducting a simple trader survey with limited or no external technical support. For complex trader surveys, or in situations where local capacity is insufficient, experienced WFP staff in the...
Maximizing the Value of "Cash for Work": Lessons from a Niger land recuperation project
Report
The good practices in this publication were distilled from a Real Time Evaluation (RTE) of an emergency project in Niger, implemented by Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and financed by OFDA that is using cash for work and seed fairs to address food insecurity in the departments of Ouallam and...
Emergency Food Security and Livelihoods (EFSL) 48-hour training materials to print
Guidelines and Tools
Developed by Oxfam and supporting ECB agencies, the EFSL training materials can be used to train participants to confidently apply the ‘48-hour assessment tool’ to assess the impact of a shock/hazard on an affected population’s food security and livelihoods. This resource includes all printing...