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Paper short abstract:

The main objective of this paper is to assess the potential of cash transfer interventions to empower refugees.

Paper long abstract:

Understanding resettlement and the reconstruction of livelihoods following forced displacement is increasingly necessary given the scale of current patterns of refugees, their protection and concerns about local impact. In this paper we will examine whether cash-transfer interventions give choice and flexibility to refuges, enabling them to purchase food and other items and services for their own needs. We also examine if this empowerment contributes to social-spatial dynamics and supports the integration of refugees and host communities. Via an e-voucher and e-card system displaced people in both refugee camps and non-camp areas are given money, calculated on a per person per month basis, loaded electronically onto plastic cards. Such cash-based interventions go beyond food to help the displaced meet a variety of needs, including winter heating payments, healthcare and help with rent and shelter to support stable livelihoods. The rationale for this wider approach to protection is aimed at reducing risks that might result in harmful coping strategies, such as child labour, family separation, prostitution and forced marriage. Cash transfer interventions are a relatively new policy initiative and to date there has been very little research on their efficacy or on their potential impact on localities and communities over time. Even though this paper is based on case studies from Turkey and Jordan, its findings have relevance in other parts of the world experiencing forced displacement and resettlement.