Translating Evidence for Behavioral Policy Design

The demand for the use of evidence in international development programs and policy continues to grow. However, policy makers’ often have questions about how to interpret and use evidence generated. How generalizable are these results? How to interpret null results? Mixed outcomes? Short and long term effects? Are these results scalable? Additionally, what are the political barriers to using evidence? In this course, we will explore how to think about these issues and others in relation to designing policies and programs in the international development sphere. We will examine these questions through various development sectors: economic development, governance, food security, refugees, education and peacebuilding. It is recommended that students have completed PPHA 34600 Program Evaluation or equivalent to enroll.