What works in Costa Rica
All catalogues
Quality scores are 0–100 rubric scores; “strong evidence” reflects study design; adoptions count documented replications elsewhere. Know more
Evidence snapshot for Costa Rica
Costa Rica has implemented several large-scale digital and institutional reforms. Digitally, the country connected 287,242 households in poverty with subsidised internet and laptops, reducing the digital gap by 22 percentage points, and deployed an AI assistant (CLEO) that has resolved 367,403 surgical-waitlist cases since 2023; however, a 2018 audit found that 129 of 150 public platforms (88%) failed to meet basic web-accessibility standards. Institutionally, Costa Rica has achieved gender parity: women held 49.1% of Legislative Assembly seats in 2022–2026 and won a historic female majority in February 2026 through a mandated 50% quota with strict alternation rules. On environmental governance, the country's national payments-for-environmental-services programme has channelled US$565 million to conserve over 1.15 million hectares of forest.
Drawn from: OTAI Audit of 150 Public Platforms — Evidence Base for Costa Rica's Directriz 051-MTSS-MICITT · FONATEL Hogares Conectados – Subsidised Internet and Device Programme for Households in Poverty (Costa Rica) · Costa Rica Payments for Environmental Services (PSA / FONAFIFO) · Costa Rica's Gender Parity Electoral Code — 49% Women in Legislature (2009–2026) · CLEO — Costa Rica's AI Assistant for Purging Surgical Waiting Lists · ChatbotPJ — Costa Rica's Judicial-Branch AI Assistant for Case and Service Queries · CIAT e-IAD — Costa Rica’s AI anomaly detector for e-invoice fraud · Joining Multinational Supply Chains — Costa Rica's Evidence-Based Supplier-Linkage Push
Generated from this place's cited practices only. Always check the linked sources.
Strengths & weaknesses vs peers
Strengths
Evaluation evidence +55 pts 100 here · 45 average
Transparency, ethics & data protection +32 pts 80 here · 48 average
Water & soil — retention, infiltration, erosion control +28 pts 78 here · 50 average
Documented learning +26 pts 100 here · 74 average
Demonstrated reach +24 pts 100 here · 76 average
Teacher capability & pedagogy +23 pts 60 here · 37 average
Transparency, fairness & accountability +20 pts 73 here · 54 average
Evaluated outcomes +15 pts 100 here · 85 average
Evidence of impact / measured public value +12 pts 71 here · 59 average
Governance, certification & transferability +10 pts 75 here · 64 average
Gender-mainstreaming embedding +9 pts 100 here · 91 average
Weaknesses
Inclusiveness / equity -9 pts 33 here · 42 average
Innovation level -12 pts 51 here · 63 average
Curator validation -24 pts 50 here · 74 average
Effectiveness -27 pts 50 here · 77 average
Impact on gender equality -30 pts 50 here · 80 average
Achievement / evidence -41 pts 50 here · 91 average
Efficiency -44 pts 0 here · 44 average
Score profile vs peers
Coloured bar: Costa Rica. Grey bar: peer average across the corpus. Both on a common 0–100 scale.
Points compare this place's average on each dimension with the average across all evaluated places, on a common 0–100 scale. Know more
Top good practices here
OTAI Audit of 150 Public Platforms — Evidence Base for Costa Rica's Directriz 051-MTSS-MICITT · 96
Costa Rica Payments for Environmental Services (PSA / FONAFIFO) · 87
Costa Rica's Gender Parity Electoral Code — 49% Women in Legislature (2009–2026) · 78
CLEO — Costa Rica's AI Assistant for Purging Surgical Waiting Lists · 73
ChatbotPJ — Costa Rica's Judicial-Branch AI Assistant for Case and Service Queries · 73
CIAT e-IAD — Costa Rica’s AI anomaly detector for e-invoice fraud · 73
Joining Multinational Supply Chains — Costa Rica's Evidence-Based Supplier-Linkage Push · 62
Each number is the practice's overall 0–100 quality score against its catalogue's rubric. Know more
Cities with evaluated practice
Where the documented practice in Costa Rica concentrates — each city has its own evidence profile.
Recommended to adopt or replicate
Transferable practices from elsewhere that address this place's gaps.
Ciudad Mujer — El Salvador's Integrated Women's Services Programme · fit 100/100
- Rated highly transferable
- Backed by strong evidence
- Addresses this place's weak dimensions
Already adopted in 3 other places
SASA! Community Mobilisation Programme against Intimate Partner Violence — Uganda · fit 100/100
- Rated highly transferable
- Backed by strong evidence
- Addresses this place's weak dimensions
Already adopted in 4 other places
Digital Green — Video-Mediated Agricultural Extension · fit 100/100
- Backed by strong evidence
- Addresses this place's weak dimensions
Kartu Prakerja – National Digital Skills and Financial Inclusion Programme · fit 100/100
- Backed by strong evidence
- Addresses this place's weak dimensions
Rwanda's Land Tenure Regularization Programme — Titling Land in Women's Names · fit 90/100
- Rated highly transferable
- Backed by strong evidence
- Addresses this place's weak dimensions
- Rated highly transferable
- Backed by strong evidence
- Addresses this place's weak dimensions
Already adopted in 6 other places
Copenhagen Business Hub (Erhvervshus Hovedstaden) · fit 90/100
- Rated highly transferable
- Backed by strong evidence
- Addresses this place's weak dimensions
Abolition of Chhaupadi — Ending Menstrual Exile Huts in Nepal's Far- and Mid-Western Districts · fit 82/100
- Rated highly transferable
- Addresses this place's weak dimensions
Fit estimates how well a practice matches this place, 0 (poor) to 100 (excellent); the list is ordered to favour practices that address this place's gaps. Know more