How Research Affects Policy: Experimental Evidence from Brazil

We are delighted to welcome Gautam Rao to CGD. Gautam will talk about his new research, which examines whether evidence changes the beliefs and actions of policy makers. His findings show that policy makers do update their beliefs and do make different policy decisions when presented with new evidence. This research is particularly fascinating for anyone working in policy-influencing roles or in think tanks as it provides direct evidence that providing research information to political leaders can lead to policy change. CGD Senior Research Associate, Lee Crawfurd, will respond and provide some insights on evidence-based policy reform from elsewhere in the world. 

Presenter:

• Gautam Rao, Associate Professor, Department of Economics, Harvard University

Discussant:

• Lee Crawfurd, Senior Research Associate, Center for Global Development

Chair:

• Susannah Hares, Global Education Co-Director & Senior Policy Fellow, Center for Global Development