International Experts Conduct a Course in Chile on the Implementation of Social Programs

The course focused on one of the main challenges of public policy: how to put good ideas and evidence into practice. The workshop explored specific tools for improving the implementation of social programs and brought together nearly 60 participants from civil society, the public sector, and the education sector, including professionals from the Directorate of Public Education (DEP), the Ministry of Education, and administrators of subsidized private schools.

“When an initiative works, the challenge is to expand it to reach more people. But for it to truly improve the lives of families and communities, it’s essential to focus on implementation, because the impact depends not only on the design, but especially on the teams’ capabilities, the local context, and the experience of those involved once the initiative is up and running,” explained Macarena Cea, general manager of the Luksic Foundation.

The course was taught by researcher Dr. Robyn Mildon, CEO of the CEI, and Jane Lewis, associate director of the CEI, who shared tools and insights for bridging the gap between program design and implementation.

“Learning how to bridge the gap between design and execution not only strengthens our professional work, but also reminds us that good ideas only transform reality when they are implemented with quality and rigor,” said Andrés Goñi, co-founder of +Deporte.

For Javiera Silva of Fundación Naturalizar (which promotes children’s learning in nature), the course was an invitation to “take a deeper look” at the challenges of implementation, noting that “it’s not enough to have good ideas or evidence if you don’t carefully consider how to put them into practice in real-world contexts.”

“I’m leaving having learned a lot, such as the importance of designing simple processes, strengthening local capacities, and providing ongoing support to those who implement the programs so that they can truly endure and make an impact,” she added.

Robyn Mildon’s visit to the country took place as part of the conference “Global Pathways 2026: Quality Implementation to Make a Difference”, which brought together more than 300 people. In addition to the workshop, the researcher held meetings with the Undersecretary for Children and the office of the President-elect, emphasizing quality implementation as a key pillar for strengthening social policies and programs in Chile.