The role of Civil Society Organisations in Legislature Strengthening

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The role of Civil Society Organisations in
Legislature Strengthening 22 May 2007
albertvzyl_at_gmail.com www.internationalbudget.org

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Main points

• What are Budget CSOs?
• What CSOs can do for Legislatures
• What limits this relationship?
• How can this relationship be strengthened?
• How does the IBP fit into all of this?

www.internationalbudget.org
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What are Budget CSOs?

• Common factors
• Independence
• Applied work
• Timely, accessible, useful information
• Focus on budget impact on the poor
• Diversity
• Level of development
• Types of organizations
• Political systems
• Political strategies

www.internationalbudget.org
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Types of Civil Society Budget Work

• Highlighting best practice (Philippines, South
  Africa)
• Simplification debate (Croatia, Ghana)
• Training (Mexico, Tanzania)
• Tracking expenditures measuring impact (Uganda,
  India)
• Independent critical analysis (Ghana, Argentina)
  
• Building accountability (India, Kenya)

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What can do CSOs for Legislatures

• No, we dont know either
• Bring new information ? Priorities,
  implementation, sub-national trends
• Read Collate information ? Capacity to digest
  and represent the ocean of information from the
  Executive
• Train ? analysis, legislation, process
• Analysis ? Research capacity
• Advocacy ? Value of independent/other voices

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Some factors that limit this relationship?

• Many of legislatures challenges external to this
  relationship
• Civil societys driving an issue before building
  a relationship (short vs long term debate)
• Civil society working directly with the Executive
  
• Parliaments ability to engage
• Parliaments willingness to engage
• Debate about representivity of CSOs

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How can this relationship be strengthened?

• Need for a dating agency ? Example of Tanzania
• Getting the Legislature to propose
• ? Out of 59 countries, only 19 had public
  hearings on the fiscal and macro framework
• ? 25 dont have hearings on departmental/agencies
  budgets
• Paying the dowry ? Whatever overall level,
  limited in transition/crisis countries,
  Francophone Africa etc
• Living happily ever after ? CSOs Legislatures
  can work on longer term relationships built on
  planning of advocacy, research etc

www.internationalbudget.org
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Where does the IBP fit into all of this?

• Network of CSOs in about 80 countries
• We provide technical support, training, learning
  opportunities some start-up funding to Budget
  CSOs
• Open Budget Index? www.openbudgetindex.org
• 4-5 June London meeting to consider this
  relationship between CSOs Legislatures

www.internationalbudget.org