Open Budget Survey 2017

Open Budget Survey 2017

by | Jan 31, 2018

January 2018 | by International Budget Partnership

The International Budget Partnership’s Open Budget Survey (OBS) is the world’s only independent, comparative assessment of the three pillars of public budget accountability: transparency, oversight and public participation. The Open Budget Survey 2017 evaluated 115 countries across six continents, adding 13 new countries to the survey since the last round in 2015. Independent researchers in each country evaluated:

  • Budget transparency: the amount, level of detail, and timeliness of budget information governments are making publicly available. Countries are given a score between 0 and 100 that determines their ranking on the Open Budget Index. After 10 years of steady progress by countries, the 2017 survey shows a modest decline in average global budget transparency scores, from 45 in 2015 to 43 in 2017 for the 102 countries that were surveyed in both rounds.
  • Budget participation: the opportunities governments provide to civil society and the general public to engage in decisions about how public resources are raised and spent. The 2017 survey revealed that most countries fail to provide meaningful opportunities for the public to participate in the budget process.
  • Budget oversight: the capacity and authority of formal institutions (such as legislatures and supreme audit institutions) to understand and influence how public resources are being raised and spent. The 2017 survey found that only 32 countries’ legislatures (28 percent) have adequate oversight practices.

Jump to: Full Reports | Open Budget Index Rankings | Executive Summaries | Key Findings | Country Summaries | Infographic | Methodology | Questionnaire and Guidelines | Datasets | Other Resources

Full Reports

The Open Budget Survey 2017 full report is the most comprehensive resource available on the findings and recommendations of this global assessment of budget transparency, participation, and oversight. It includes detailed information on the key findings, country rankings, research methodology, and more.

Open Budget Index Rankings

The Open Budget Index is the world’s only independent and comparative measure of budget transparency. The Open Budget Index scores each country from 0 to 100, based on the average responses to the 109 indicators the Open Budget Survey uses to measure budget transparency. These indicators are used to assess whether the central government makes eight key budget documents available to the public in a timely manner and whether the information contained in these documents is comprehensive and useful.

Executive Summaries

Adapted from the complete report of the Open Budget Survey 2017, the executive summary brings together the survey’s global findings with recommendations for governments, and civil society, and donors to improve budget transparency, participation, and oversight in budget processes around the world.

Key Findings

This short summary focuses on key findings from the Open Budget Survey 2017.

Country Summaries

Country Summaries

Individual Open Budget Survey country summaries are available for download on each country’s results page.

Infographic

Key findings from the Open Budget Survey 2017, visualized.

Methodology

Learn more about the research methodology used for the Open Budget Survey 2017.

Questionnaires & Questionnaire Guidelines

The results for each country in the Open Budget Survey 2017 are based on a questionnaire, comprising 145 scored questions, that is completed by independent researchers typically based in the country surveyed. Almost all of the researchers responsible for completing the questionnaire are from academic institutions or civil society organizations that have a common interest in promoting transparent and responsive budgeting practices in their countries.

Datasets
Media Resources

Related

Full reports, rankings, and other publications from previous rounds of the Open Budget Survey can be found at the links below:

Open Budget Survey 2015

Open Budget Survey 2015

by | Sep 8, 2015

September 2015 | By International Budget Partnership

The Open Budget Survey 2015The International Budget Partnership’s Open Budget Survey (OBS) is the world’s only independent, comparable measure of budget transparency, participation, and oversight. The Open Budget Survey 2015 examines 102 countries from around the world, measuring three aspects of how governments are managing public finances.

  • Budget transparency: the amount, level of detail, and timeliness of budget information governments are making publically available. Each country is given a score between 0 and 100 that determines its ranking on the Open Budget Index.
  • Budget participation: the opportunities governments are providing to civil society and the general public to engage in decisions about how public resources are raised and spent.
  • Budget oversight: the capacity and authority of formal institutions (such as legislatures and supreme audit institutions) to understand and influence how public resources are being raised and spent.

The Open Budget Survey 2015 finds that 98 of 102 countries surveyed lack adequate systems for ensuring that public funds are used efficiently and effectively. Each of these 98 fall short on at least one of the key pillars of budget accountability: budget transparency, public participation, and formal oversight. Thirty-two countries fall short across all three pillars. Download resources below to learn more.

Open Budget Survey 2015 Downloads

Jump to: Full Reports | Executive Summaries | Key Findings | Open Budget Index Rankings | Methodology | Questionnaire and Guidelines | Datasets | Multimedia Resources | Press Resources |

Full Reports

The Open Budget Survey 2015 full report is the most comprehensive resource available for download. It includes information on the research methodology, key findings, country rankings, and more.

Executive Summaries

This abbreviated summary includes a summary of findings on the state of budget transparency, recommendations to improve budget transparency, participation, and accountability, and the Open Budget Index 2015.

Key Findings

This abbreviated summary focuses on key findings from the Open Budget Survey 2015.

Open Budget Index Rankings

The Open Budget Index 2015 assigns countries a transparency score on a 100-point scale using 109 questions from the Open Budget that focus specifically on whether the government provides the public with timely access to comprehensive information contained in eight key budget documents.

Infographic

Key findings from the Open Budget Survey 2015, visualized.

Methodology

Learn more about the research methodology used for the Open Budget Survey 2015.

Questionnaires & Questionnaire Guidelines

The results for each country in the Open Budget Survey 2015 are based on a questionnaire, comprising 140 questions, that is completed by independent researchers typically based in the country surveyed. Almost all of the researchers responsible for completing the questionnaire are from academic institutions or civil society organizations that have a common interest in promoting transparent and responsive budgeting practices in their countries. Researchers were also provided the Open Budget Survey Questionnaire Guidelines which described the method to be used in completing the questionnaire and defined the types of evidence to be provided.

Datasets
Multimedia
Media Resources

Open Budget Survey Results by Country

IBP’s Paolo de Renzio Discusses Open Budgets: The Political Economy of Transparency, Participation, and Accountability

by | May 30, 2013

What are some of the key causes and consequences of budget transparency? And how does transparency link with participation and accountability in the budget process? The International Budget Partnership (IBP) teamed up with some of the best researchers in the field to answer these questions—and others—by examining how budget transparency has evolved over time in varied country contexts, through case studies and quantitative analyses using data from the Open Budget Index. The results are summarized in the IBP’s recently released book, Open Budgets: The Political Economy of Transparency, Participation, and Accountability. Watch Paolo de Renzio, Senior Research Fellow for the IBP’s Open Budget Initiative and co-editor of the book, discuss budget transparency.