Training minds, shaping policies: Evidence from a behavioral economics course for public officials

Cognitive biases are pervasive, even among policymakers whose decisions have wide welfare consequences. Yet little is known about whether scalable training can mitigate them. This paper reports 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 processes relevant to public decision-making. The findings highlight the potential of large-scale cognitive training to improve public sector performance and motivate further research on its policy impact.