Center for Global Development: More Results for the Money: Cash Benchmarking at USAID
Sarah Rose, policy fellow, and Amanda Glassman, chief operating officer, senior fellow, and board secretary, both at CGD, discuss USAID’s new “series of cash benchmarking evaluations that compare the per-dollar impact of USAID programs with that of a comparably sized cash transfer given directly to individuals or households.” The authors write, “The first results are out … and will hopefully prompt constructive conversation about how USAID can better use evidence to select and design impactful and cost-effective programs. In a new policy note, we describe USAID’s cash benchmarking effort and explain why it’s important. We also offer recommendations for how the agency should take the approach forward and suggest ways that Congress can help ensure it’s done well…” (9/13).