Shock Responsive Programs
Adopting a flexible, shock-responsive approach to development programming enables implementers to adapt and respond appropriately and quickly to shocks when they occur.

There is an increasing recognition with the international development community of the need for a shock responsive approach in development activities to help countries and communities mitigate, adapt to, and recover from shocks thereby reducing losses, preventing a downward spiral of divestment leading to destitution, and protecting hard-won development gains.
Even in countries not prone to recurrent crises, shocks and stresses may occur during the normal implementation of development activities. Adopting a flexible, shock-responsive approach to development programming enables implementers to adapt and respond appropriately and quickly to shocks when they occur. This adaptive approach includes the ability to use a range of development and humanitarian tools to mitigate the effects of a shock and speed recovery. Shock responsive programs are able to respond to a wide range of shocks, including droughts, pests, and political crises, and could involve adjusting elements of the program or the entire intervention; experimenting with new approaches; or eliminating programming that isn’t working in the new context.
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This handbook provides guidance for project design and management teams on shock responsive programs.
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The RISE portfolio aims to strengthen resiliency in communities and governments in selected, somewhat adjoining areas of Burkina Faso and Niger.
Conflict and FragilityGovernanceShock Responsive ProgramsNigerBurkina Faso -
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This evaluation explores how different productive inclusion programs impact the wellbeing and economic stability of safety net beneficiaries in Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal.
GovernanceShock Responsive ProgramsSocial ProtectionNigerBurkina FasoSenegal -
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COVID-19’s worldwide sweep has underscored that recovering from the impacts of COVID-19 isn’t enough. As USAID and other donors assess COVID-19’s implications for future shocks, it is urgent that programs strive to build resilient systems and institutions where we work. How do we know if our...
HealthShock Responsive Programs -
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This paper builds on decades of psychology and social and behavioral change theory and practice to propose a social and behaviorally informed approach to early warning system design, development, and implementation. The approach focuses on identifying proper early actions and the determinants of...
SystemsShock Responsive Programs -
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This report documents the analysis of the Recurrent Monitoring Survey (RMS) 20I8-19 data set collected as part of the impact evaluation of the Resilience in the Sahel Enhanced (RISE) program. The overarching goal of the RISE program is to increase the resilience to shocks of chronically...
Conflict and FragilityShock Responsive ProgramsBurkina FasoNiger -
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The Asia Resilience Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Workshop was held in Bangkok, Thailand from July 11-14, 2017. The USAID Center for Resilience (C4R) through the Resilience Evaluation, Analysis and Learning (REAL) Award supported the training event, to provide participants with...
Urban ContextShock Responsive ProgramsSustainable Poverty EscapesEvidence and AnalysisNepalBangladeshCambodiaPhilippines -
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This handbook provides guidance for project design and management teams on shock responsive programs.
Shock Responsive Programs