Training Minds, Shaping Policies: Evidence from a Behavioral Economics Course for Public Officials

Cognitive biases are pervasive, even among policymakers whose decisions have far-reaching welfare consequences. Yet little is known about whether scalable training can mitigate policymakers biases. This paper provides evidence from a randomized controlled trial embedded in an online behavioral economics course for public officials in Latin America and the Caribbean. Participants were randomly assigned to complete a seven-item diagnostic test either before or after the course, measuring cognitive reflection, applied behavioral knowledge, and policy-approach preference. Those tested afterward scored 0.87 standard deviations higher on average, with especially large gains in applied reasoning and problem solving. These results, robust to within-subject comparisons, suggest that short, structured online training can enhance reasoning relevant to public decision-making. The findings both highlight the potential of large-scale cognitive training to improve public sector performance and motivate further research on its policy impact.