Abstract

Humanitarian cash transfers have been shown to enable vulnerable populations to meet basic needs during acute emergencies, serving as a critical safety net. But can cash assistance also serve as a ladder to economic recovery during protracted, conflict-driven crises? Through a randomized control trial in Iraq, researchers examined how variations in cash transfer delivery schedules, alongside a behavioral-insights driven financial health training, impact economic coping and recovery, social cohesion, psychosocial wellbeing, and resilience to shocks.

The findings suggest that even in a protracted crisis where shocks and stresses are recurrent, temporary cash transfers can provide protective benefits that both prevent poverty back-sliding and also support economic recovery. The evidence shows how small variations in cash transfer schedules can achieve different outcomes, of which program designers and implementers can make greater, more intentional use. These results hold important implications for how policy makers, donors and practitioners can fund and design social protection programming to support economic recovery in protracted, conflict-driven crises.

Questionnaire Description

The purpose of this questionnaire is to gather information related to Iraqi households ability to meet basic needs as well as their investment in productive assets, overall well being, resilience capacities, and experience with COVID (both from an economic as well as a health perspective). This questionnaire is the fourth and final questionnaire in this randomized control trial and was conducted after the original control group received their cash transfer. The COVID related questions included in this survey as well as the module designed to assess resilience capacities were not included in previous iterations of the survey.

Respondent Population Characteristics

Adults, Households

Implementing Organization

Cash and Livelihoods Consortium of Iraq (consisting of Mercy Corps, International Rescue Committee, Danish Refugee Council, Oxfam, and Norwegian Refugee Council)

Project Data Collection Mode

Researchers (*corresponding author)

Jon Kurtz, Vaidehi Krishnan, Virginia Leape, Vladimir Jovanovic, Marlaina Ross, Reimar Macaranas

Partners

Cash and Livelihoods Consortium of Iraq (consisting of Mercy Corps, International Rescue Committee, Danish Refugee Council, Oxfam, and Norwegian Refugee Council)

Questionnaire Usage Notes

With attribution

Questionnaire File Type

Reader-friendly survey instrument

Questionnaire Language(s)

English

Questionnaire Stage

Data Collection Completed