Using Data and Evidence as a City Leader

A Free, Self-Paced Online Learning Module
Harness data for better public decisions

What does it take to use data and evidence effectively in city leadership?

Every day, city leaders are expected to make high-stakes decisions that shape the lives of their residents. Data—when used well—can make those decisions smarter, more strategic, and more responsive to resident needs. This free, self-paced module helps you become a sharper consumer and commissioner of data and evidence in city government.

Co-created by the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative and the Evidence for Policy Design (EPoD) program at the Harvard Kennedy School, this flexible online module is inspired by real-world events and decision-making moments from cities around the globe. It offers busy public leaders a dynamic learning experience with practical tools, thought-provoking questions, and compelling scenarios that reflect the challenges city officials face every day.

Whether you’re a mayor, senior city official, policy advisor, or data analyst, this module is designed to help you use data more confidently—and more impactfully—in your work.

Why Take This Module?

• Test your proficiency: Do a quick quiz before you start to test your ability to apply statistical concepts to real-life scenarios and identify areas for improvement. Do another quick quiz at the end to see how much you have improved.
• Step into real leadership moments: Grapple with tough dilemmas in mini-cases about education, health, transportation, and urban planning. These scenarios are modeled on examples of real-world city leaders.
• Learn by doing: Answer questions, make choices, and get immediate feedback on your responses—each scenario helps you sharpen your instincts and build confidence in data-informed decision-making.
• Take it at your own pace: Complete the five-section module in about three hours. Pause, save, and return at any time. It’s built for flexibility—so it always fits your schedule.
• Apply the learning immediately: From evaluating programs to deciding what to measure, the tools and techniques in this module are practical and ready to use. You’ll finish with a clearer understanding of how to apply evidence in your day-to-day work or future job.

What You’ll Learn

• Why using data is about mindset, not just metrics
• What makes data “good enough” to support a decision
• How to evaluate whether programs and policies are working
• What to measure—and what to stop measuring
• How to integrate data and evidence into policy-making that serves the public good

How It Works

• Flexible format: Move through the content in about three hours, broken into five digestible sections:
  1. Using Data as a City Leader
  2. Using Data to Make Decisions: Benefits and Considerations
  3. How to Use Data to Know If a Program or Policy Is Working
  4. Measuring What Matters
  5. Putting It Together: Data and Evidence for Impactful Policymaking

• Built for active learning: Engage with interactive questions, mini-cases, video, and clickable infographics. Test your understanding, compare perspectives, and explore how different choices lead to different outcomes.
• Multiple ways to engage: Designed for laptop or desktop use with high accessibility and intuitive navigation. Includes video captions, glossary tools, and a range of interactive elements.
• Concrete takeaways: Gain a deeper understanding of how to approach data use in your role, and walk away with resources you can return to anytime.

Who Should Take It?

This module is for public leaders at every level—whether you work directly with data or simply want to make more informed decisions. It’s ideal for mayors and senior officials, department heads, analysts, policy advisors, and anyone trying to lead smarter with data, including students who are interested in running for office or a career in city hall.

This module is available free of charge as part of our commitment to helping more city leaders around the world build their capacity to lead with data.

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the following individuals for their guidance, feedback, and contributions: