Abstract
Impact evaluations using experimental and quasi-experimental methods provide rigorous evidence on the effectiveness of policies and programs, making them essential tools for evidence-based policymaking. As such, the use of impact evaluations offers policymakers an opportunity to make better-informed decisions, allocate scarce resources more effectively, and design policies that can address deep economic and social disparities. This is especially relevant for countries with weak state capacity, limited resources, and high levels of inequality, where targeted and cost-effective interventions are necessary to achieve meaningful change. Despite the clear potential of impact evaluations to guide policy decisions, their use remains limited due to barriers such as competing priorities, language, limited capacity to interpret evidence, and a lack of actionable frameworks for implementation. While existing literature highlights these barriers, less attention has been paid to how enhancing policymakers' capacity to engage with and apply impact evaluations can bridge the gap between evidence generation and its practical use in policymaking. In countries like the DRC, where the need for effective decision-making is high but the capacity to act on available evidence is often limited, strengthening the ability to use impact evaluations becomes even more essential. This study evaluates the impact of a two-day training program on impact evaluations for policymakers in Kinshasa, DRC, using a staggered randomized controlled trial with 430 participants from various ministries and government branches. The study leverages the existing centralized training structures for most policymakers, taking advantage of the shared background and homogeneity of their training. By combining this infrastructure with access to impact evaluations, the study explores how capacity-building interventions influence policymakers’ understanding of evidence, attitudes towards evidence as well their practices.