Dollars and Sense for a Better Childhood: A Palestinian Child-Focused Budget Study
The study gives a brief introduction to the history and socio-economic status of West Bank/Palestine. The report is organized around four main elements: a) a guide to the Palestinian budget from a child rights perspective with a general overview of social sector spending; b) an analysis of education spending in Palestine; c) an assessment of the Palestinian social welfare sector; and d) a child-focused budget comparison of two Palestinian municipalities. By extracting lessons from these four components, the study hopes to
inform legislators, ministerial finance departments, civil society, and children themselves about the budgetary issues and processes that impact
upon child rights in Palestine.
Coalition for Accountability and Integrity – AMAN
Palestine: Teaching Active Citizenship Through Social Audits
February 2016 | By Belal Fallah, Department of Economics and Financial Sciences, Palestine Polytechnic University
In much of the West Bank, particularly in areas such as Awarta and Nablus, there are rampant problems in the funding and delivery of government services and infrastructure projects. These problems range from general mismanagement of funds to outright corruption. In response, the Teacher Creativity Centre (TCC) launched a project to mobilize students to conduct social audits of public services. Integrity Action, a nonprofit organization registered in the United Kingdom, supported TCC through funding for the campaign activities, help in shaping the audit tools used by students, and by providing guidance on monitoring.
Over a period of four months, the TCC mobilized groups of students from 58 secondary schools, exposing a host of problems and advocating for their solutions. Some groups significantly improved infrastructure in their communities. Others were less successful — a lack of information and concerns about exposing too much undermined the potential of their work culminate in change.
This case study was commissioned by IBP’s Learning Program in cooperation with Integrity Action. It demonstrates the challenges and benefits of involving students in strategies for social accountability.
Downloads
- Palestine: Teaching Active Citizenship Through Social Audits (Full Case Study, February 2016)
- Palestine: Teaching Active Citizenship Through Social Audits (Summary, February 2016)