Posts │ To what point are the results of impact evaluations conducted in Latin America successfully influencing policy makers? What is the role of the institutional context and how does it affect influencing capacities? What are the opportunities and challenges faced by research teams?

To expand on these and other questions, the Workshop on Impact Evaluation and Policy Influence took place in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on November 19th.

The event was organized by IDRC, GRADE, CEDLAS, led by CIPPEC and counted with the participation of the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie).

During the event analyses and learning experiences of policy influence in Latin America were presented and this subject was the focus of a work-in group session. Among these experiences were the Analysis on countries with lesser capacities for research, supported by IDRC and the progress of the Policy Influence Monitoring project (PIM), led by 3ie.

Subsequently, each group presented its conclusions related to the opportunities and challenges (institutional or otherwise) of policy influence derived from impact evaluations in the region and the role of influence strategies when it comes to effectively influencing the policy cycle.

As a closing, Stuti Tripahi (3ie), Miguel Jaramillo (GRADE), María Laura Alzúa (CEDLAS) and Miguel Foguel (IPEA) reflected on the conclusions of the day and on the challenges for the future of policy influence based on the findings of impact evaluations in the region.

19 Latin American researchers from 14 organizations of the region attended the event. Among these organizations were: Interamerican Development Bank, Latin American Development Bank, International Food Policy Research Institute, Fedesarrollo, Colegio de México, CADEP, INESAD Foundation).

CIPPEC will elaborate a document giving account of the lessons learned during this event and three case studies based on the experience of researchers that attended the event.