Insights

Check out our latest blog and insights, spotlighting individuals who are blazing trails in budget work.

Following the money to improve health outcomes for all

Nov 06, 2026

Budget Trailblazer: Blendi Hasaj

Jan 26, 2024

Closing the Policy to Reality Gap: Khadija Errebah and the Long Fight to Bring Gender Equality to Life in Morocco

Mar 10, 2026

Closing the Policy to Reality Gap: Khadija Errebah and the Long Fight to Bring Gender Equality to Life in Morocco

Mar 10, 2026

Budget Trailblazer: Coşkun Cangöz

Mar 23, 2026

Latest Insights and Blogs

Following the money to improve health outcomes for all

Nov 06, 2026

Decision-makers may not have a complete picture of the realities of healthcare in their country. Civil society organizations, on the other hand, are often closer to the communities and public services they rely on. It’s been a great opportunity to learn about tools developed by civil society around the world to monitor budgets and health […]

How PULSE is Turning Public Finance Commitments into Trackable Action in Nigeria

Oct 06, 2026

The real measure of public finance is not only whether revenue is collected, loans are secured or budgets are approved and implemented. It is whether these resources ultimately translate into quality, timely public services that ordinary Nigerians can see and experience in their communities. Dr. Yinka Babalola, Country Director, IBP Nigeria A budget can be […]

Indonesia’s Coastal Women Turn WASH Efforts Into Climate Action

Sep 17, 2026

In several coastal communities in Indonesia, a woman’s day starts at two in the morning: walking to a water pump before sunrise so her family has something to drink, cook, and wash with before the heat sets in. By the time she goes to bed, she may have worked nearly 20 hours of invisible labor […]

The gender gap in global budgets

Sep 15, 2026

A survey of national budgets around the world has revealed a gap between commitment and change when it comes to gender. Governments around the world are making budgets more gender-responsive. But are they becoming more accountable? This year, the International Budget Partnership began exploring that question through the Open Budget Survey 2025, which, for the […]

Temporary Toilets, Permanent Threats: Six Ways to Improve Sanitation in South Africa

Aug 21, 2026

When does a “temporary” service become a permanent threat? In Johannesburg, 52 percent of residents in informal settlements have used the same ventilated improved pit (VIP) toilets for over 15 years, while 32 percent have used them for over 20 years. These toilets were designed to last just five to seven years. Yet, for many […]

OBS Unpacked

AI is Coming for Public Finance. What is it Actually Doing?

Aug 04, 2026

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is entering one of the most consequential areas of government: public financial management (PFM). The Open Budget Survey (OBS) 2025 offers a first baseline of how AI is entering this space, asking a focused question: where is AI being used in public financial management and for what purposes? AI applications are emerging […]

Total Return Swaps: A Test to Debt Accountability in Africa

Jul 23, 2026

Public debt is at the center of an accountability crisis. Borrowing, meant to drive development, is squeezing out spending on health and education as debt burdens rise globally. Even worse, across many countries, progress in public disclosure of debt obligations is not keeping pace with the size of obligations. The latest round of the Open […]

OBS Unpacked

Publishing the Budget Isn’t Enough: The Governance Challenge Behind Indonesia’s OECD Accession

Jul 20, 2026

Indonesia’s OECD accession is about more than meeting technical standards—it is about building institutions that ensure public money is spent effectively and accountably. While Indonesia has made significant progress in budget transparency, this blog argues that stronger spending reviews, integrated public financial data, independent oversight, and meaningful public participation are essential to ensure evidence informs budget decisions and improves outcomes for citizens.

OBS Unpacked

Beyond Green Tagging: Integrating Climate Budgeting into the Accountability Ecosystem

Jul 10, 2026

The Paris Agreement made clear that climate commitments require public finance, not just policy ambition. Countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) set targets, but targets don’t implement themselves—they require public choices about spending, taxation, subsidies, investment and risk. The budget is where climate goals are tested against real action. The OECD’s Beyond Green Tagging, and the […]

OBS Unpacked

The Role of Independent Fiscal Institutions in Budget Accountability: Lessons from the OBS

Jul 04, 2026

The Open Budget Survey (OBS) 2025 finds that most of the world’s budgets are becoming more open. However, the wealth of evidence this survey has produced over the past twenty years reinforces the reality that greater transparency is not enough to ensure real accountability. That, in part, requires institutions that can independently assess budget information, […]

Six Pathways to Creating Change: A Fresh Way to Understand Government Responsiveness and Civil Society Impact in Fiscal Governance

Jun 23, 2026

Anyone working closely with civil society organizations knows there is a form of impact that rarely gets acknowledged. It is the work of staying engaged when political conditions are hostile. Of building relationships that will only matter when an opportunity finally emerges. Of keeping a reform conversation alive when progress feels impossible. This is the […]

The Great Pull-Back: How Indonesia is Quietly Recentralizing Power and What Citizens are Doing About It

May 06, 2026

This blog traces how Indonesia’s once-celebrated decentralization model is gradually reversing, with fiscal power and decision-making shifting back to the central government in Jakarta. Through legal reforms, dominant political coalitions, and weakened oversight institutions such as parliament and audit bodies, the executive has consolidated control—reducing scrutiny, limiting local autonomy, and narrowing citizens’ influence over public spending. The consequences are tangible: fewer resources reaching communities, participatory processes becoming symbolic, and accountability mechanisms under strain.

Insights

Following the money to improve health outcomes for all

Budget Trailblazer: Blendi Hasaj

Closing the Policy to Reality Gap: Khadija Errebah and the Long Fight to Bring Gender Equality to Life in Morocco

Budget Trailblazer: Coşkun Cangöz

Budget Trailblazer: Nemanja Nenadić

Budget Trailblazer: Blendi Hasaj

Who Watches the Borrowing? New Research Reveals Gaps on Debt Accountability

Closing the Policy to Reality Gap: Khadija Errebah and the Long Fight to Bring Gender Equality to Life in Morocco

Budget Trailblazer: Coşkun Cangöz

Following the money to improve health outcomes for all

How PULSE is Turning Public Finance Commitments into Trackable Action in Nigeria

Indonesia’s Coastal Women Turn WASH Efforts Into Climate Action

The gender gap in global budgets

Temporary Toilets, Permanent Threats: Six Ways to Improve Sanitation in South Africa

AI is Coming for Public Finance. What is it Actually Doing?

Total Return Swaps: A Test to Debt Accountability in Africa

Publishing the Budget Isn’t Enough: The Governance Challenge Behind Indonesia’s OECD Accession

Beyond Green Tagging: Integrating Climate Budgeting into the Accountability Ecosystem

The Role of Independent Fiscal Institutions in Budget Accountability: Lessons from the OBS

Six Pathways to Creating Change: A Fresh Way to Understand Government Responsiveness and Civil Society Impact in Fiscal Governance

The Great Pull-Back: How Indonesia is Quietly Recentralizing Power and What Citizens are Doing About It

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