Budgeting for the Poor

Civil society organizations play an increasingly important role in analyzing government budget policies and in advocating for more transparent and inclusive budget processes in transitional and developing countries. Drawing on case studies of six budget groups across Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America, this book is the first comprehensive study of the impact and significance of civic initiatives aimed at enhancing budget transparency and the poverty focus of government expenditure priorities. Achievements include improvements in the transparency of budgetary decisions, increased budget awareness and literacy, and deeper engagement in the budget process on the part of legislators, the media and civil society organizations. The case studies in this book show how budget groups produce greater equity in budget policies and strengthen democracy by fostering accountability, enhancing transparency and deepening participation and voice.

ISBN 0230224784   Pages 240 ISBN13 9780230224780 (What's this?)   Volumes 1 Publisher Palgrave Macmillan   Weight (grammes) 403 Imprint Palgrave Macmillan   Published in Basingstoke Format Hardback   Height (mm) 222 Publication date 31 Oct 2008   Width (mm) 141 Library of Congress 2008021207   Spine width (mm) 18 DEWEY 353.48   Academic level Undergraduate, Postgraduate, Professional / Scholarly DEWEY edition DC22

1		Improving Transparency and Promoting Accountability: Civil Society Budget Work in Perspective by Mark Robinson		1
2		Analysing Applied Budget Work: Case Studies and Method by Mark Robinson		13
3		Budget Analysis and Social Activism: DISHA and the Budget Process in Gujarat, India by Laura Malajovich and Mark Robinson		21
4		Democratising the Budget: Fundar's Budget Analysis and Advocacy Initiatives in Mexico by Mark Robinson and Vinod Vyasulu		47
5		Budget Work and Democracy-Building: The Case of IBASE in Brazil by Paolo de Renzio and Jim Shultz		73
6		Sustained Work and Dedicated Capacity: IDASA's Experience in Applied Budget Work in South Africa by Helena Hofbauer		96
7		Croatia and the Institute for Public Finance: Budget Work in a Transitional Democracy by Albert van Zyl and Jim Shultz		122
8		Budget Monitoring as an Advocacy Tool: The Uganda Debt Network by Paolo de Renzio and Vitus Azeem and Vivek Ramkumar		145
9		Conclusions: The Impact and Significance of Applied Budget Work by Mark Robinson		171
10		Implications for Policy and Practice by Paolo de Renzio and Warren Krafchik		186
		Appendix		208
		References		213
		Index		217

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