Open Budget Survey 2010

October 2010 | By International Budget Partnership

The Open Budget Survey 2010 included 94 countries. Independent civil society researchers or research organizations collected the data, which was peer-reviewed and further analyzed by IBP staff.

The Open Budget Survey 2010 yielded four main findings:

• The overall state of budget transparency is poor. Only a modest minority of countries can be considered to have open budgets while a large number of countries provide grossly insufficient budget information.
• The general trend toward open budgets is nonetheless favorable. Budget transparency is improving substantially, especially among countries that provided little information in the past.
• Budget engagement by the audit institutions and the legislature is typically weak and is strongly correlated to the lack of budget information made available to these institutions and the public.
• There are many simple steps to opening up budgets that governments are failing to undertake. Such steps can be taken by the executive branch, the legislature, and the supreme audit institutions alike.

Download resources below to learn more.

Open Budget Survey 2010 Downloads

Jump to: Full Reports | Key Findings | Open Budget Index Rankings | Methodology | Questionnaire and Guidelines | Datasets

Full Reports

The Open Budget Survey 2010 full report is a comprehensive resource that includes information on the Open Budget Survey 2010 research methodology, key findings, country budget transparency rankings, and more.

• Open Budget Survey 2010 Report – English
• Open Budget Survey 2010 Report – Arabic
• Open Budget Survey 2010 Report – French
• Open Budget Survey 2010 Report – Portuguese
• Open Budget Survey 2010 Report – Russian
• Open Budget Survey 2010 Report – Spanish

Key Findings

This abbreviated report focuses on key findings from the Open Budget Survey 2010.

• Open Budget Survey 2010 Key Findings – English
• Open Budget Survey 2010 Key Findings – Arabic
• Open Budget Survey 2010 Key Findings – French
• Open Budget Survey 2010 Key Findings – Portuguese
• Open Budget Survey 2010 Key Findings – Russian
• Open Budget Survey 2010 Key Findings – Spanish

Open Budget Index Rankings

The Open Budget Index assigns countries a transparency score on a 100-point scale using questions from the Open Budget Survey. It measures a country’s overall commitment to budget transparency and allows for comparisons among countries.

• Open Budget Index 2010 Rankings – English

Data Tables

Download the data tables from the 2010 Open Budget Survey report.

• Open Budget Survey 2010 Data Tables – English
• Open Budget Survey 2010 Data Tables – Arabic
• Open Budget Survey 2010 Data Tables – French
• Open Budget Survey 2010 Data Tables – Portuguese
• Open Budget Survey 2010 Data Tables – Russian

2009 Changes in the Open Budget Survey Methodology and Revisions to OBI & Datasets

Based on inputs received from researchers and extensive in-house reviews, the International Budget Partnership (IBP) has made three changes in the methodology applied to its Open Budget Survey, which is the basis for the Open Budget Index (OBI). The first change concerns the timing of the release of the eight key budget documents assessed by the Survey. The second change is the inclusion of the enacted budget in calculating country scores for the OBI. The third change is based on comments received from experts from Brazil and Nigeria that resulted in revisions to the answers of a few questions used to assess these countries.

• Note Describing OBI Methodology and Data Revisions – English
• Note Describing OBI Methodology and Data Revisions – French
• Note Describing OBI Methodology and Data Revisions – Spanish

Methodology

Learn more about the research methodology used for the Open Budget Survey 2010.

• Open Budget Survey 2010 Methodology – English
• Open Budget Survey 2010 Methodology – Arabic
• Open Budget Survey 2010 Methodology – French
• Open Budget Survey 2010 Methodology – Portuguese
• Open Budget Survey 2010 Methodology – Spanish
• Open Budget Survey 2010 Researcher Contact List
  

Questionnaire

The Open Budget Survey 2010 Questionnaire consisted of 123 multiple-choice questions based on generally accepted good practices related to public financial management. Independent civil society researchers and peer reviewers completing the questionnaires were asked to provide evidence for their responses.

• Open Budget Survey 2010 Questionnaire – English
• Open Budget Survey 2010 Questionnaire – Arabic
• Open Budget Survey 2010 Questionnaire – French
• Open Budget Survey 2010 Questionnaire – Portuguese
• Open Budget Survey 2010 Questionnaire – Russian
• Open Budget Survey 2010 Questionnaire – Spanish

Questionnaire Guidelines

IBP provided researches with these 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.

• Open Budget Survey 2010 Questionnaire Guidelines – English
• Open Budget Survey 2010 Questionnaire Guidelines – French
• Open Budget Survey 2010 Questionnaire Guidelines – Portuguese
• Open Budget Survey 2010 Questionnaire Guidelines – Russian
• Open Budget Survey 2010 Questionnaire Guidelines – Spanish

Summary of Responses

• Responses to the Open Budget Survey 2010 Questionnaires (.xls)

Open Budget Survey Results by Country

• Open Budget Survey results and recommendations by country, downloads of country summaries, and completed Open Budget Survey questionnaires can be downloaded from the Open Budget Survey Results by Country main page.