This literature review examines how and why different approaches to capacity building for evidence-informed policy making work, for whom, and in which contexts – aiming to provide a practical resource summarising existing knowledge about evidence use in decision making and how to promote it. The review also plays a crucial role in the BCURE realist evaluation design, through identifying theories from the literature about ‘what works, for whom, in what circumstances, and why’ to build capacity for evidence-informed policy making.