Executive Summary:
This report examines the relationship between informal social protection (ISP) networks and multi-purpose cash assistance (MPCA) in Lebanon. Drawing on four rounds of post-distribution monitoring (PDM) data collected between October 2024 and August 2025, the study provides longitudinal analyses of how cash assistance affects informal support mechanisms amid protracted crisis and conflict.
Lebanon’s overlapping economic, political, and security shocks – compounded by the 2024 Israel-Hezbollah war – have significantly eroded traditional social safety nets. Families increasingly rely on family, friends, and neighborhood ties to meet essential needs in the absence of reliable formal support. Yet, these informal systems have come under strain, as widespread displacement and loss of income reduce households’ ability to assist one another.
Within this context, Mercy Corps sought to assess how access to MPCA influences the strength and function of ISP networks across six dimensions: network size, diversity, reliability, reciprocity, resources, and dynamics. Results show that MPCA can reinforce ISP by providing liquidity that allows households to engage in community-based exchanges.
Between the first and fourth PDM rounds, the overall ISP index increased by 8.7%, alongside notable improvements in food security indicators. The findings indicate that MPCA can serve not only as a means of meeting immediate needs but also as a mechanism for strengthening social resilience and restoring trust within communities.
However, persistent gaps remain. Reciprocity, a key dimension of social solidarity, declined by 62.5%, reflecting households’ limited capacity to support others during widespread hardship. Furthermore, nearly one in five households reported unsuccessful attempts to obtain help from state institutions, underscoring the fragility of Lebanon’s formal social protection system.
By Crisis Analytics Team, Mercy Corps Lebanon
