Two Decades of the "Juntos" Program in Peru: A Critical Assessment, Persistent Gaps, and 2026-2030 Reform Agenda

This book offers a critical assessment of two decades of the JUNTOS Program in Peru (2005-2025)-the country's most far-reaching conditional cash transfer program-examined from a rarely explored perspective: the Puno Altiplano, a region where the program has faced its most rigorous challenges. Based on official data from INEI, MIDIS, MEF, and MINEDU, updated through 2025-2026, the book examines the program's history, the structural roots of rural poverty that led to its creation, its operational framework of targeting and shared responsibilities, the evidence on its outcomes in health, education, and economic well-being, the trajectories of its beneficiaries, and the persistent asymmetry between what is demanded of families and what the State provides. It argues that JUNTOS has verifiably improved the lives of millions of households, while continuing to operate in areas where public provision of health care, education, and climate protection remains insufficient. It concludes with seven reform proposals for 2026-2030 aimed at transforming the program from a permanent relief measure into a platform for families' transition toward economic autonomy.