Paper details

Paper authors	Andrew Seal
In panel on	Rethinking Cash Assistance within Humanitarian Response
Paper presenter(s) will be presenting	In-Person / Online

Abstract

Unconditional cash transfers are widely used in humanitarian programmes in which the control of acute malnutrition in children is an objective. However, the evidence that cash transfers are effective at reducing acute malnutrition in these contexts is mixed. The Research on Food Assistance for Nutritional Impact (REFANI) consortium (AAH, ENN, Concern Worldwide, and UCL) carried out three controlled trials of cash transfers and their effect on malnutrition in Niger, Pakistan, and Somalia, between 2014 and 2017. The findings showed that while food security and diet diversity improved following cash transfers, there was little or no impact on acute malnutrition, although stunting did improve in Pakistan. In more severe food crises the results may have been different. However, from both a theoretical and empirical perspective, in most situations cash transfers will need to be integrated with direct intervention support for public health services if humanitarian nutrition and health objectives are to be met. In some circumstances, such as during siege or blockades, direct food aid will also be required. This paper will present and discuss the evidence from the three REFANI studies in light of the current literature on cash transfers and ongoing debates on how to maximise their impact on nutrition and health outcomes.

Back