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The conference consisted of plenary sessions, introducing the key topics of budget analysis, including the policy context, poverty and human rights frameworks for budget analysis, tax analysis, advocacy techniques and the future of the network. These were followed by smaller, more informal workshops where specific issues could be discussed in more detail. Both plenary sessions and workshops are listed and described here. Click on a link to read about a session in more detail, or follow the arrows to take a guided tour. Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Sunday,
November 5 Introduction
to the International Budget Project
(optional for new groups) Or Sight seeing tour
of Mumbai Monday,
November 6 Introduction: Overview of the conference topics, logistics and hosts, including the experience of the Indian hosts in budget analysis and new developments at the International Budget Project. The Policy Context: The impact of globalization on national and local decision making must not be ignored, but neither should it dominate and paralyze more local level discussions and solutions. Presentations by Jim Shultz from Democracy Center and Aurelio Vianna of INESC provided the opportunity to frame future discussions in the international context for national budget decisions and priorities. Frameworks for budget analysis - Poverty: LC Jain, a highly experienced politician and activist, gave a presentation highlighting the importance of budget analysis to pro-poor activism and advocacy. Workshops:
Tuesday, November 7 Frameworks for budget analysis - Human rights: Presentations and case studies from groups using budget analysis to uncover hypocrisy in government commitments to rights, advocate for protection of rights or cost the provision of rights to vulnerable sectors of society. Including case studies from India, South Africa, Mexico, Ghana and West Bank/ Palestine. Workshops:
Meeting
with government officials in Mumbai:
including
the Finance Minister, Mr. Jayant Patil, Secretary of the Planning
Department, Mr. Ashok Basak, and from the Maharashtra Congress, Mr. Adik
and Mrs Patil. Wednesday, November 8 Tax analysis in anti-poverty work: For many groups, applied budget analysis centers around the quantity, direction or quality of expenditure. However, the structure and administration of tax systems are also influential in the distribution of resources. Family incomes and expenditure and wider economic activity are influenced by taxes and furthermore, state expenditure takes place through tax rebates and benefits to business and industry. With the bulk of anti-poverty tax analysis experience from the USA, presentations from Chuck Sheketoff of the Oregon Center for Public Policy, Liz McNichol of the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities State Network and Joel Friedman of the IBP introduced the area. Workshops:
Reflecting the views and interests of the poor and the vulnerable: Applied budget analysis is about marrying grassroots activism with technical analysis and research. Without the latter, arguments for policy change are weakened. Without the former, pro-poor analysis lacks the legitimacy of proximity to the target group, their needs and concerns. Presentations by Sergio Baierle, Vivek Pandit and Brian Wampler illustrated the importance of this marriage of skills and focus, from integrating budget analysis into organization of bonded laborers in Maharashtra to participatory budgetary processes in Brazil. Workshops:
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