Horizontal Learning Program: An Independent Assessment

The purpose of this Capstone project was to assess the Horizontal Learning Program (HLP) in rural Bangladesh, an initiative driven by the World Bank as an effort to strengthen public service capacity amongst the lowest tier of government. The report, informed by field research, assesses the current HLP and suggests recommendation for improvement and opportunities for scaling across Bangladesh. It also identifies elements that could enable replication of the program into other contexts. Overall, the report concludes that the HLP in Bangladesh is not truly horizontal, not strictly about learning, and is much more than a traditionally defined capacity building program: it is a replicable system of exchanges that empowers people and communities by enabling knowledge sharing through a dynamic network of individuals and institutions.