Leveraging evidence to enhance IDB’s development impact in LAC

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has taken a significant step toward producing Evidence Gap Maps (EGMs) to strengthen evidence-informed decision-making. In the citizen security and justice sector, the IDB utilized its Security and Justice Evidence-based Platform to map existing literature on the effectiveness of policing interventions. This work organizes evidence into a framework of interventions (solutions) and outcomes (targeted issues), offering a clear and structured view of the current evidence landscape. 

To ensure the quality of this initiative, 3ie experts evaluated the Citizen Security EGM against gold-standard methodologies for EGM production and provided detailed feedback that was used to revise the search for, screening, and coding of included studies. 

In addition to this, 3ie will provided training on best practices and collaborated with the IDB to guide and coproduce a new EGM focused on the transportation sector. This effort aimed to help direct future research and inform policy decisions by identifying areas where evidence is lacking.

By combining the IDB’s sector-specific expertise with 3ie’s leadership in evidence synthesis, this partnership is poised to deliver high-quality evidence mapping tailored to meet the region’s critical policy information needs.

This guide, developed jointly by IDB and 3ie, introduces users to EGMs and how these interactive tools visually organize available research on the effects of development interventions. It provides step-by-step guidance on how to navigate and interpret EGMs, as well as practical advice for teams interested in producing new maps. EGMs help identify what evidence exists, where gaps remain, and how this information can inform future research, program design, and policymaking.

Download guide

Co-produced by IDB and 3ie

This EGM presents global evidence on the effectiveness of transportation interventions, including roads, urban mobility, logistics, and transport policies. Hosted on 3ie’s platform, it combines rigorous data curation with interactive features to highlight where research is concentrated and where key knowledge gaps remain to guide future policy and research efforts.

🔗 Access the Transportation EGM on 3ie’s platform
📄 Download the Transportation EGM Protocol (PDF)
📄 Download the Summary of Methods and Results (PDF)

Co-produced by IDB and 3ie

This technical note outlines the methodology for developing EGMs, adapted to support IDB’s work in strengthening the quality and impact of development policies and operations. It explains how EGMs compile and structure existing studies to identify evidence clusters and gaps. Drawing on lessons from recent collaborations, the note also highlights how EGMs can inform policy dialogue, guide project design, and promote more effective use of evidence.

Access the Technical Note

This short video^* introduces the IDB-3ie Transportation EGM Navigator (beta version). The AI-powered Navigator can help you navigate and query the EGM more efficiently using natural-language questions. It supports one-time, short, structured queries such as:

• Counting studies
• Breaking down studies by region or other characteristics
• Checking whether evidence exists for specific intervention–outcome combinations
• Listing studies with direct links

It does not have memory and works best when asked one question at a time. It is a discovery and navigation tool. It does not interpret findings, assess effectiveness, or make recommendations.

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_{^*Please note that the video references a previous iteration of the Navigator.}