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Can civil society budget groups contribute to
governance and combating corruption?
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The growth of independent applied budget groups

• Definition Budget Groups
• First wave 1990 1999
• Countries, catalysts and work
• Second wave 1999
• Countries, catalysts and work

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The case against civil society participation

• Budgets must be secret or volatile markets will
  result.
• CSOs can destroy budget integrity.
• CSOs pursue sectional interests.
• Government has mandate to prepare the budget.

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Budget groups Types of work

• Drafting Priority setting (Kenya), PRSP
  (Uganda), MTEF (SA) Participatory budgeting
  (Brazil).
• Legislature Literacy (Croatia), training
  (Mexico, SA), and indep. analysis.

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Budget groups Types of work

• Implementation Impact information collation
  (Uganda, SA, India).
• Auditing Tightening accountability (India)

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Examples of impact

• Mexico Presidential Fund
• South Africa Public Finance Management Act
• Russia in-kind taxation
• Uganda education and health expenditures

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The case for civil society participation

• May improve commitment, quality of decisions and
  impact by
• Simplification and debate
• Training
• Bringing information to the debate
• Independent critical analysis
• Building accountability
• Critical ally of govt.

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Civil society budget groups Key success
factors

• Focus on whole process
• Dedicated capacity
• Oversight partnership alliances.
• Skills
• Consistent funding
• Linking with communities

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