Cash and Livelihoods in Contexts of Conflict and Fragility

Abstract

Multiple efforts have been made in recent years to introduce cash transfers augmented by livelihood support (‘cash-plus’) into protracted crisis contexts to support lives and livelihoods. Yet, little learning has been generated about how to design and implement these effectively and under what conditions. This brief summarises the state of the evidence and debate, gaps in the evidence, and directions for research that emerge from the thematic paper on cash-plus in protracted crises characterised by conflict and fragility. We identify distinct objectives and patterns of cash-plus provision across different conflict-social protection contexts. A dearth of evidence on impacts of these programmes remains. This has implications for future work in the area of cash assistance and livelihoods in protracted crisis settings. We identify a number of key questions to guide further research.