Targeted Human Development Programs: Investing in the Next Generation

Targeted Human Development Programs (THDPs) are integrated poverty reduction programs designed to increase the capacity of the poor to accumulate human capital. The programs are directed primarily to poor and vulnerable families with pre-school and school-age children. Their main long-term objective is to eradicate the structural causes of poverty by fostering investment in the next generation's human capital. A secondary objective is to alleviate poverty in the short term, mainly through monetary transfers. This report sets out the motivation for implementing THDPs and step-by-step instructions for design and implementation. It describes the implementation of impact evaluation mechanisms and results that can be expected and offers a list of appropriate country conditions for a THDP. A model logical framework for a THDP operation is presented in the Annex of this report.