The effects of DFID’s cash transfer programmes on poverty and vulnerability

UK aid is succeeding in alleviating extreme poverty through its support for cash transfer programmes.

Score: Green/Amber
  1. Status: Completed
  2. Published: 12 January 2017
  3. Subject: Livelihoods and social protection
  4. Assessment: Green/Amber
  5. Location: Bangladesh, Rwanda
  6. Lead commissioner: Alison Evans

Read the approach paper

Our approach

This impact review set out to assess the results that DFID has achieved with its cash transfer (CT) programmes, and the extent to which these results are likely to be sustainable. The review probes the credibility of DFID’s results and aims and assesses their significance.

The review assesses DFID’s use of and addition to the evidence of CTs contribution to reducing poverty and vulnerability. Value for money of DFID’s CT programmes was also examined. The review provides insight into whether DFID’s CT portfolio represents a credible response to target 1.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals, which is to ‘implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable’.

Review questions

The review is built primarily around the OECD-DAC evaluation criteria of impact and sustainability. lt considers the following questions and sub-questions:

  1. Impact: To what extent have DFID’s CT programmes contributed to reductions in poverty and vulnerability?
  2. Sustainability: To what extent does DFID maximise the sustainability of its impact?

Timeline

Approach

9 May 2016

Evidence gathering

Complete

Review publication

Published 12 January 2017

Government response

Published 17 February 2017

Parliamentary scrutiny

IDC hearing 22 February 2017

ICAI follow-up

Published 29 June 2018