The U.S. Agency for International Development is throwing its weight behind cost-effectiveness — and in particular, evidence-based direct cash transfers programs — through two new position papers launched this morning.
The papers represent a “very powerful signal” of where the agency is headed, USAID’s Isobel Coleman told Devex, and a call for USAID to use evidence on cost-effective programming to design, deliver, and evaluate the agency’s work across the world. The focus is on initiatives that maximize the impact of every dollar spent, Coleman said — and cash transfers are one way to do that.
“The needs are tremendous, and the resources are very, very stretched,” said Coleman, USAID’s deputy administrator for policy and programming, in a phone call before the launch. “Now more than ever, we need to make sure that we are using our resources, and stretching them to go as absolutely far as possible, which really means a deepened emphasis on cost-effectiveness.”