Blog
The Open Budgets Blog features the opinions of the International Budget Partnership’s staff and associates on government budgets, poverty reduction, budget transparency and citizen participation.
Climate finance transparency is vital – and so is avoiding greenwashing
Restoring the notion of government of, for and by the people will be essential as we seek to renew societies and build resilience in the post-pandemic global recovery.
New Frontiers in Open Government: Forging New Alliances for Accountability
Restoring the notion of government of, for and by the people will be essential as we seek to renew societies and build resilience in the post-pandemic global recovery.
Budget Trailblazers: Astou Mbengue
Each month, we shine a spotlight on partners who are using budget advocacy to bring transformational change to their communities. This month, we talked with Astou Mbengue, lead data collector for the Senegalese Federation of Inhabitants (FSH).
Special Drawing Rights: Let’s talk about transparency and accountability
There is a lack of transparency about how SDRs are used and regrettably, very few governments globally have sought dialogue with the public on SDRs spending.
Budget Trailblazers: Jeanette Calder
In this section, we shine a spotlight on partners who are using budget advocacy to bring transformational change to their communities. This month, we talk with Jeanette Calder, Executive Director of Jamaica Accountability Meter Portal (JAMP). Jamaica is one of 23 countries where we are seeking to build the field of budget advocates through our Collaborating for Open and Accountable Budgets program, funded by the European Commission.
FSAPH and the fight for social inclusion of people with disabilities
For many years disability has, in theory, been a policy priority of the Senegalese government. Officially, people with disabilities (PWDs) represent 5.9% of the Senegalese population. This data, however,...
Women smallholder farmers in Nigeria secure investments in agriculture
In Nigeria, agriculture is responsible for roughly a quarter of the gross domestic product, the second-highest contributor in the country. Although the Nigerian government has reaffirmed its commitment to allocate 10% of its annual budget to agriculture as a...
KNTI: Fisherfolk advocate for fuel subsidies and COVID relief in Indonesia
Indonesia is the world’s second-largest fisheries producer, and small-scale fisherfolk make up 95% of the sector. These fishers depend heavily on fuel which represents 60% of their production costs. When President Joko Widodo came to power, he promised to...
NCDHR: Empowering students from India’s scheduled castes and tribes
The Post Matric Scholarship (PMS) program is India’s largest tertiary education scholarship program for scheduled caste and scheduled tribe (SC/ST) students. The PMS program provides financial assistance to students from historically marginalized Dalit and...
COMEN: Communities achieve much-needed investments in Primary Health Care
The Primary Health Care (PHC) sector in Nigeria has suffered from chronic underinvestment since the 1980s, when primary health care was decentralized and handed over to local governments. Local PHC facilities have suffered from outdated procurement processes...
Asivikelane: Helping South Africa’s informal settlement residents’ voices be heard
The Asivikelane campaign was founded in early 2020 through a coalition formed by IBP South Africa and its partners – Afesis-corplan, CORC and Planact – in the face of the global COVID-19 pandemic. The coalition feared that the conditions in which informal...
The missing link: Indonesian fishers fill the gap to simplify the subsidized fuel program
Along with 150 other fisherfolk from Pari Island in Indonesia, Sulaiman struggles to obtain subsidized diesel fuel. When trying to access subsidized fuel, fisherfolk are generally met with government red tape. An NGO coalition called KUSUKA is working with government ministries, Indonesia’s supreme audit institution, and other NGOs to help overcome the challenges facing small-scale fisherfolk.
Budget Trailblazers: Rommel Rodríguez and Jaime López
Each month, we shine a spotlight on partners who are using budget advocacy to bring transformational change to their communities. This month, we talked with Rommel Rodríguez, Macroeconomics and Development Area Coordinator, and Jaime López, Transparency Researcher, both from the National Development Foundation (FUNDE) in El Salvador.
Taking Accountability Seriously in Times of Crisis
This pandemic is far from over, but in order to keep moving toward recovery and renewal, we need to assess how countries are faring with relief spending– are they being open and accountable to help ensure funds go where they are needed most? The International Budget...
COVID-19 & Accountability in The Gambia
After decades of dictatorship, The Gambia had its first transfer of power by popular election in December 2016. This election brought hope, but unravelling decades of dictatorial rule has proven difficult. Government funds earmarked for public projects often end up in the hands of individuals with connections to politicians or used to benefit special interests.
Budget Trailblazers: Elena Calistru
In this section, we shine a spotlight on partners who are using budget advocacy to bring transformational change to their communities. This month, we talk with Elena Calistru, chair and founder of Funky Citizens, a Romanian-based NGO that builds research-based, data-driven advocacy tools. Funky Citizens was one of our research partners on the COVID-19 assessment.
Managing Covid Funds: the accountability gap
When the Covid pandemic broke in early 2020, there was near unanimous consent that a crisis of this magnitude required governments to act boldly and swiftly to meet the needs of their people. By the end of 2020, governments mobilized a staggering $14 trillion in fiscal policy responses of different types.
Budget Trailblazers: Dr. Sandra Guzmán
In this section, we shine a spotlight on partners who are using budget advocacy to bring transformational change to their communities. This month, we talk with Dr. Sandra Guzmán, founder and global agenda coordinator at the Climate Finance Group for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Budget Trailblazers: Rongai Leakwara
In this section, we shine a spotlight on partners who are using budget advocacy to bring transformational change to their communities. This month, we talked with Rongai Leakwara, a budget champion from one of the smallest and marginalized ethnic minority communities in Kenya, known as the Ilchamus community.
The need to “double mainstream” gender and climate in public finance
Like gender inequality, climate change poses extremely complex and intersecting challenges and addressing them requires significant government intervention and coordination. In addition to the cross-cutting nature of an effective response, efforts to address climate breakdown are often components of a larger program or project, raising huge definitional and operational challenges.