Cash transfers play bigger role in humanitarian contexts
5th March 2018: Global spending on cash and vouchers in humanitarian contexts reached an estimated $2.8bn in 2016, according to the latest State of the World’s Cash report. The Cash...
Lessons to Be Learned: International Interventions in Timor-Leste
The time has come to learn from international interventions in Timor-Leste: Political economy and conflict analyses must be applied in support of countries in transition. Sitting at a long table in a quiet pedestrian street soaking in the Portuguese sunshine, I recently caught up with a former colleague who was in...
Cash transfers on the rise as an emergency response in the Pacific
Despite increasing evidence of their value, the use of cash transfers in emergencies is still limited. ODI’s Paul Harvey estimated in a recent article in the Guardian, as well as a guest piece on Duncan Green’s ‘From Poverty to Power’ blog, that only 6% of humanitarian aid is currently provided...
Social protection in fragile contexts: the unique role of pensions
A couple of weeks ago I was fortunate to attend the international conference on Social Protection in contexts of fragility and forced displacement. One of the recurring messages emerging from the conference was that the ultimate ambition in these contexts should be long-term, nationally-owned social protection systems. I was able to...
Targeting humanitarian aid: something to be left to opaque algorithms?
As crises spread across the globe combined with increasing pressure on funding, the question of how best to target aid has entered the humanitarian world in a big way. However, while targeting has long been debated in social protection – and continues to be highly contested – humanitarian actors appear to...
How social protection recipients can raise their voice – with SMS messages
How can social protection communications ensure recipients understand their entitlements and hold social protection officials to account? Even in humanitarian contexts, in remote, sparsely-populated regions with low technology-penetration rates? This is the question that our Management Information Systems team in our Kenya office has been putting expertise into answering. It...
Building capacity for an effective Hunger Safety Net Programme
The Hunger Safety Net Programme provides a safety net for pastoralists living in chronic poverty in the four Kenyan counties of Turkana, Marsabit, Mandera and Wajir. The programme provides regular,...