Comparing cash and food transfers: findings from a pilot project in Sri Lanka

This field article shares the findings of a pilot cash transfer project that gives valuable insight into household expenditure and consumption patterns in cash-receiving and food-receiving households over a three-month period in Sri Lanka. Thematic research on cash and food transfers has increased significantly since the late nineties. However, comparative research on cash and food transfers remains limited and claims about the relative advantages of one or the other are often based on comparisons of programmes implemented in different contexts.