Abstract
The global shift toward Cash-Based Interventions (CBIs) represents one of the most significant policy transformations within humanitarian assistance, framed as a pivotal bridge linking emergency relief to sustainable development. In Uganda, celebrated internationally for its progressive refugee model, cash transfers have been widely deployed across settlements hosting South Sudanese refugees to stimulate local markets and foster socio-economic self-reliance. Drawing upon a mixed-methods empirical investigation conducted across Bidibidi and Rhino Camp refugee settlements in the West Nile sub-region, this study critically evaluates whether CBIs systematically facilitate genuine self-reliance or merely reconfigure chronic dependency. Utilizing household survey data (n = 482), thirty-two key informant interviews, and twelve focus group discussions, our findings indicate that while cash transfers provide crucial consumption-smoothing benefits and afford refugees greater dignity and dietary autonomy, their developmental impact remains severely constrained. Transfer values are frequently degraded by localized market inflation and secondary transaction costs, relegating cash usage predominantly to basic survival rather than productive capital accumulation. Furthermore, systemic structural impediments—such as limited arable land allocations, insecure property rights, and absence of formal financial integration—prevent refugees from graduating out of extreme vulnerability. Consequently, we argue that without synchronized structural investments in host community infrastructure, regulatory labor market integration, and multi-year social safety architectures, cash assistance serves primarily as an individualized palliative mechanism rather than a catalyst for self-reliance.
