ABSTRACT
At all levels of government in Canada, there has been a growing movement toward evidence-based decision-making. This movement has roots as far back as the 1970s. The availability of data has enabled the growth of policy research areas that support evidence-based decision-making by providing impartial research that informs the policy development and implementation process. Behavioral insights and experimentation are tools for generating and incorporating more evidence in the implementation of policies and programs. The Government of Canada made a commitment to devote a fixed percentage of program funds to experimenting with new approaches and measuring impact to instill a culture of measurement, evaluation, and innovation in program design and delivery. This chapter details the development of behavioral insights use in Canada, provides an overview of key institutions, and showcases examples of putting behavioral insights into practice.
