This project seeks to share knowledge and skills to motivate open, transparent, and reproducible research in order to address the file drawer problem and publication bias in Rwanda, as well as to improve the usability of research findings for policy-making. The Catalyst will first conduct exploratory research on the extent of the file drawer and publication bias problems in Rwanda. The project will then  introduce to scholars in the areas of economics, business studies, social science and public health the tools that exist to address the problem, as well as the benefits of using best practices in open, transparent, and reproducible research. These practices will include pre-registration and pre-analysis plans; sharing materials, data, and code using platforms like the Open Science Framework; and replication studies and meta-analysis.

Research Transparency and Reproducibility workshops will be held at two of the leading universities in Rwanda – the College of Business and Economics at University of Rwanda and Mount Kenya University Rwanda. Independent researchers from the Economic Policy Research Network will also be included. To ensure learning, weekly peer coaching meetings will be conducted by IERD to extend the peer learning experience realized by those enrolled in an online course currently in progress. The project will also include policy dialogue sessions with other stakeholders including Rwandan policymakers.