Evidence Building

Evidence building is about using and generating insights into how and why people behave the way they do to help our provincial ministry clients design better programs and services. From climate change to the COVID pandemic to inequality—our clients are working on the big problems of the day.
We do two types of evidence building.

Behavioural intervention 
The first way we build evidence is through an intervention (or evaluation) project. We use the scientific method to determine which of our proposed solutions will work the best to support citizens. 

We use our six-phase RIDE Model for Behaviour Shift to guide our projects. It starts with scoping the problem. We then move into RIDE, where we research, co-design, and test solutions. We end with scaling the most successful solution. This model includes checkpoints at key stages as a reminder to consider ethics and apply lenses that consider equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility, and that includes Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+).

Behavioural lens
The other way we build evidence is by providing advice to clients about how to develop or improve a policy, program or service using what we know about behaviour. We call this type of work a behavioural lens. We might do this, for example, when there are logistical challenges, measurement challenges, or other reasons why an experiment may not be the right option.

During a lens project, we review scientific studies in behavioural science and findings from other places. We may also do field research, like interviews and surveys. We then use this information to make evidence-informed recommendations.