Demand for humanitarian assistance is growing and existing financial resources are inadequate to address all areas of need. As stewards of limited funds, we have a responsibility to make the most positive change in the lives of as many people in need as possible. We can make better decisions on which activities to implement and how to implement them, based on equity, client needs, effectiveness, efficiency, and quality. The Best Use of Resources team focuses on informing decision making on efficiency and effectiveness.

Cost Analysis Methodology

The ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ uses the ingredients methodology to conduct cost analysis (). ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡â€™s methodology note can be found here. 

Cost-efficiency analyses compare the costs of a program, or set of activities, to the outputs achieved (e.g. children treated for acute malnutrition, students reached with a new pedagogy).

Cost-effectiveness analyses (CEAs) are used when  research team conducts an impact evaluation. CEAs compare the costs of a set of activities to the change in outcomes (e.g. reduction in mortality, improvements in child literacy).

See bottom of the page for ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡â€™s costing resources and contributions to sectoral guidance and costing methodology.

Cost Analysis to Date

Since the creation of the Best Use of Resources team in 2015, the Best Use of Resources team has completed over 400 cost-efficiency analyses, 24 cost-effectiveness analyses in conjunction with impact evaluations, and 8 scenario models to inform scale and programmatic decision making. The completed reports on a portion of these analyses can be found below.

 

The completed reports on a portion of these analyses can be found below.

This page will be continuously updated as more costing studies are completed.

̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ Cost Analysis Data Sets

The ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ is committed to transparent cost analysis and data sharing. Below are data sets of completed cost analyses, updated on a bi-annual basis.

̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ Cost Analysis Report Library

Economic Wellbeing

Efficiency Guidance

Unconditional cash for basic needs can maximize efficiency by reaching more than 1,000 households per distribution ()

 

Cost-Effectiveness Analyses

  • Anticipatory Action – Cash – Nigeria 2023 (English Report, , )
  • Building Income and Leveraging Livelihoods for Youth (BILLY) – Kenya 2020 (English Report, , , , , 
  • Girl Empower by Micro-franchise Cost-Effectiveness Brief – Kenya 2014 (English Report, French Report, , )
  • Re:BUILD – Kenya 2023 (English Report, , )

 

Cost-Efficiency Analyses

  • Emergency Food Distribution – Myanmar 2021 ()
  • Unconditional Cash Transfers – Iraq 2018 ()
  • Integrated Farm with Agrobusiness Grants – Niger 2021 (, )
  • Livelihoods – Kenya 2019 ()
  • Livelihoods – South Sudan 2021 ()
  • Non-Food Item vs. Cash Transfers – DRC, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Iraq, Turkey 2014-2015 (English Report)
  • Unconditional Cash Transfers – Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Niger, Chad, Mali, Philippines (English Report)
  • The Value of Multi-Year Funding: Unconditional Cash Transfers – Somalia 2020 (English Report)

 

External Analyses

  • Emergency Cash Assistance – Jordan 2019, CARE ()
  • Conditional Cash for Shelter – Indonesia 2019, Save the Children ()
  • Microenterprise Management Training – Nigeria 2020, Nigeria Joint Response ()
  • Graduation Approach – Malawi 2022, Catholic Relief Services ()
  • Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance – Colombia 2022, VenEsperanza Emergency Response Consortium (, )
  • Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance – Colombia 2022, Danish Refugee Council ()
  • Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance – Nigeria 2022, CRUDAN (
  • Multi-Purpose Cash Transfers – Uganda 2022, Uganda Cash Consortium ()
  • Vocational and Life Skill Training – India 2022, Save the Children ()
Education

Efficiency Guidance

Teacher coaching should only be implemented if coaches will not be supervisors, coaches will have or be supported to develop content-specific knowledge, and coaching will be connected to other forms of teacher professional development () 

 

Cost-Effectiveness Analyses

  • Accelerated Learning Program and Coaching – Nigeria 2018 (English Report, , , , , )
  • Evidence for Action (3EA) – Niger and Lebanon 2017-2018 (, , , , , )
  • Remote Early Learning Program, Ahlan Simsim – Lebanon 2022 (English Report, , , , )
  • Pakistan Reading Project – Pakistan 2018 (English Report, , , , , Impact Study Publication is under review, )
  • Phone-Based Reach up and Learn, Ahlan Simsim – Jordan 2021 (English Report, Research Partners’ Report, , , Impact Study Publication is under review)
  • Tutoring Cost-Effectiveness Analysis – Nigeria 2019 (English Report, , , , )
  • Gindegi Goron – Bangladesh 2023 (English Report, Ingredients List)

 

Cost-Efficiency Analyses

  • A Small Price to Pay: What the Ahlan Simsim initiative tells us about the cost of delivering early childhood development programs to crisis-affected children – 2024 (English Report)
  • Emergency Response Mechanism (ERM), Play Matters – Ethiopia 2022-2023 (English report, )
  • Girls Education and Empowerment - Sierra Leone 2022 ()
  • Resilience Expansion and Active Learning in Crisis (REAL) Content Adaptation– Ethiopia, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo 2022 (English Report, Ingredients List)
  • Teacher Professional Development  – Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, Afghanistan 2012-2015 (English Report)

 

Scenario Analyses

  • Every Adolescent Girl Empowered and Resilient (EAGER) - Sierra Leone 2022 (English Scenario Analysis Report, , , , )
  • PVAC – Tanzania 2018 ()
  • Remote Early Learning Program, Ahlan Simsim – Lebanon 2022 ()
  • Social Emotional Learning Kernels - (English Report, , )

 

External Analyses

  • Conditional Cash for Education and Protection – Jordan 2020, CARE ()
  • Remote and In-Person Teacher Training – Honduras 2022, Catholic Relief Services (, )
Health

Efficiency Guidance

After the early acute phase, latrine construction in large displacement camps can maximize efficiency by creating more than 10,000 person-years of sanitation access ()  

 

Cost-Effectiveness Analyses

 

Cost-Efficiency Analyses

  • Distributing Family Planning Materials – DRC, Kenya, Liberia, Myanmar 2013-2015 (English Report)
  • Family Planning Service Provision – South Sudan 2021 ()
  • Family Planning Service Provision – South Sudan 2020 ()
  • Family Planning Service Provision – Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda 2020 ()
  • Latrine Construction in Camps – Ethiopia 2011-2014 (English Report)
  • Reproductive Health Systems Strengthening – Sierra Leone 2019-2021 ()
  • Reproductive Health Systems Strengthening – Sierra Leone 2020()
  • Reproductive Health Systems Strengthening – Sierra Leone 2021 ()
  • Simplified Protocol for Wasting Treatment – Mali 2022 ()
  • Treating Severe Acute Malnutrition – Mali, Niger, Kenya, Yemen 2012-2014 (English Report)
  • ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ Operational Efficiency: Health Procurement Case Study (Pilot)

 

Scenario Analyses

  • Nutrition Combined Protocol – Somalia 2021 (English Report, )
  • Fifth Child – Uganda 2018 ()

 

External Analyses

  • Construction of Emergency Latrines – Indonesia 2019, Save the Children ()
  • Latrine Construction, Hygiene Kit Distribution – Nigeria 2020, Nigeria Joint Response ()
  • Treatment for Acute Malnutrition – Nigeria 2020, Nigeria Joint Response ()
Power

Cost-Effectiveness Analyses

 

Cost-Efficiency Analyses

  • Community-Driven Development Programs – Somalia, Cote d’Ivoire, DRC, Afghanistan, Myanmar 2012-2015 ()
Safety

Cost-Effectiveness Analyses

 

Cost-Efficiency Analyses

  • Case Management for At-Risk Children – Jordan, Lebanon, Burundi, Tanzania, Mali 2013-2015 (English Report)
  • Legal Assistance Case Management – Iraq 2018 ()
  • Legal Assistance Case Management – Iraq 2015 (English Report)
  • Supporting Survivors of Gender Based Violence – Jordan, Lebanon, Tanzania 2015 ()

 

Scenario Analyses

 

External Analyses

  • Construction of Child Friendly Spaces – Nigeria 2020, Nigeria Joint Response ()
  • Protection Case Management – Jordan 2019, CARE ()
  • Psychosocial Support at Child-Friendly Spaces – Myanmar 2020, Save the Children ()

Dioptra Cost-Efficiency Analysis Tool

Dioptra () is a web-based cost analysis software for program staff to calculate the full cost per output of program activities, compare results to available benchmarks, and learn evidence-based strategies to improve cost-efficiency. It guides users through a standardized costing methodology to ensure that analysis results are methodologically consistent, based on established metrics, and can be meaningfully compared across different contexts and organizations.

Dioptra is managed within a consortium of 8 NGOs (Accion Contra el Hambre, CARE, Catholic Relief Services, Danish Refugee Council, ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡, Mercy Corps, Norwegian Refugee Council, and Save the Children) that provides a high-trust environment for sharing of technical capacity, analysis results, and program lessons.

̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ Contributions to Sectoral Guidance and Costing Methodology

  • A Small Price to Pay: What the Ahlan Simsim initiative tells us about the cost of delivering early childhood development programs to crisis-affected children – 2024 (English Report)
  • The State of Cost-Effectiveness Guidance: Ten Best Resources for CEA in Impact Evaluations – 2022 ()
  • AIR Standards for the Economic Evaluation of Educational Social Programs – 2021 ()
  • USAID Cost Analysis Guidance for Education Activities – 2021 ()
  • A WIN-WIN: Multi-year flexible funding is better for people and better value for donors – 2020 (English Report)
  • Cost Measurement Guidance Note for Donor Funded Education Programming – 2020 ()
  • Taking Intervention Costs Seriously: a new, old toolbox for inference about costs – 2019 ()

This page is managed by the within the ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡â€™s Airbel Impact Lab. BUR supports ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ teams, and partner organizations, in conducting cost analyses to build the evidence base to maximize impact and reach per dollar spent. Please contact [email protected] for additional information or questions.