Value for Money of Social Assistance in Fragile Contexts: Considerations, Evidence, and Research Priorities

Value for Money (VfM) is an essential tool for balancing difficult policy and programme decisions. While many of the conceptual approaches to VfM and methods for estimation are similar between regular development programming for social protection and humanitarian cash and food assistance, so far these literatures have evolved in fairly distinct silos. There is relatively little work that brings the two strands together. This thematic review provides a conceptual framework for understanding VfM of social assistance in fragile and conflict-affected situations (FCAS). It draws out what is particular to these contexts and identifies key areas for focus. It then reviews the existing literature to identify gaps and point to priorities for further research.