Australian Development Gateway

The Australian Development Gateway (ADG) strives to support members of the development community in their efforts to reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development in the Asia Pacific region. The site has been created with participation from members of government, private, academia and non-government organisations. User feedback mechanisms have been incorporated to guide future directions of the site. The site is optimised for low bandwidth access to enable the widest participation throughout the Asia Pacific region.

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Emergency response

Cash-based responses in emergencies (pdf 383kb)

People affected by disasters may need external assistance in order to survive and recover. To the extent that this involves transfers to individuals, this assistance can either be provided in-kind, in the form of food aid, shelter materials, seeds or blankets, or it can be provided in cash, enabling people to decide for themselves what they most need, and to buy it in local markets.

In this paper, the author investigates the appropriateness and usefulness of giving money instead of, or as well as, in-kind assistance in emergencies. Current and past experiences of cash responses are presented, and obstacles, opposition and implementation challenges are discussed.

 

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