LASER PULSE: Value-Added of Private Sector Engagement in Humanitarian Assistance (Report 3/3)

This evidence report, the last in a series of three, focuses on dissecting the value-added of private sector engagement (VA-PSE) in the humanitarian space. Our results, based on an analysis of 184 documents, are general insights into private sector engagement (PSE) in HA but do not aim at statistical validity and generalization. The report is intended for USAID staff, private sector partners, and the broader humanitarian community with the purpose of understanding the state of the evidence in the PSE field. Available evidence of PSE in HA is often based on qualitative findings. In brief, the key takeaway is that the evidence on VA-PSE is not well documented, at least in a way that shows the effects of PSE on the performance of HA activities when controlled for the PSE variable. However, in several instances, the VA-PSE could be comfortably implied based on approaches, partnerships, and achievements documented in the reviewed literature. This study takes advantage of such implied VA-PSE in addition to those that are more explicitly stated. Still, due to methodological limitations, the added value (contribution) may not be entirely attributable to the PSE approaches discussed in many instances.