Abstract: Poverty alleviation focuses on cultivating self-reliance ability, while the ability depends on the human capital promotion of the poor. In terms of influencing human capital, the effect assessment systems of some local governments present the "halo effect". Under the background of the coexistence of administrative contracting and bureaucracy, poor counties strongly rely on the assessment system. They regard the poverty alleviation measures that just meet the standards, that are taken by some out-of-poverty counties and that are easy to take effect by virtue of the comparative advantages as "good" measures, thus ignoring the overcoming of shortness and weakening the human capital promotion effect of poverty alleviation projects. Moreover, because of the responsibility avoiding logic and the lack of in-depth understanding of problem-oriented nature, the local governments think little about the deep "quality"——the human capital improvement of the poor, which results in the "halo effect" of poverty alleviation projects. In order to eliminate the "halo effect", it is suggested that detailed quality indicators should be formulated according to time-specific and category-specific characteristics at different poverty-stricken areas and different stages when assessments are carried out in some areas or provinces, showing the spatial differences and temporal dynamics of the indicators. What is more, poverty alleviation projects should proceed around the core of promoting the human capital of the poor.