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Frequently
Asked Questions
What is the International Budget Project? The International Budget Project (IBP) assists non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and researchers in their efforts both to analyze budget policies and to improve budget processes and institutions. The Project is especially interested in assisting with applied research that is of use in ongoing policy debates and with research on the effects of budget policies on the poor. The IBP works primarily with researchers and NGOs in developing countries or new democracies. What is the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities? Founded in 1997, the International Project is part of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The Center, founded in 1981 in Washington DC, examines data and conducts research on how budget and tax policies affect low- to middle-income people. For nearly two decades, the Center has produced timely analytic reports that are designed to be accessible to public officials, nonprofit organizations, and the media. In 1992, with the development of the State Fiscal Project, the Center expanded its programs to encompass both national and state-level analysis. Through this new level of work, the Center has developed expertise in helping state-based budget and tax organizations share information, and has provided technical assistance to these groups to help them increase their ability to conduct effective analysis. The foundation of both the federal and the state work is applied budget analysis. This method of work is now being advanced by the International Budget Project.
What is applied budget analysis? Applied budget analysis is a method of developing credible research on the budget into policy-relevant, timely, accessible and consequently influential information that contributes to and affects policy decisions.
Why should I be interested in my country’s budget? In most countries the principal policy document and the instrument for distributing resources is the budget. In order to construct a more open and participatory society, budget decisions need to be subjected to public scrutiny and influence. This is the role and responsibility of an active and informed civil society or citizenry.
Why is the International Budget Project focusing its efforts on budget issues? The general lack of information on budget issues — and the shortage of information and analysis in widely usable, non-technical forms — has seriously hindered the efforts of national and local organizations attempting to participate in the debate on the distribution of national resources. Strengthening budget analysis is therefore an inevitable and integral part of policy work and democracy-building.
What kinds of organizations does the IBP work with? The International Budget Project works with groups and researchers all over the world provided they are interested in budget analysis. Most of these organizations conduct analysis in developing countries or in countries new to democracy, but we also have contacts with groups in developed countries. We have worked with groups in Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Cameroon, Chile, Croatia, Ecuador, Egypt, Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lebanon, Malawi, Mexico, Middle East, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Sweden, Tanzania, Uganda, the United States, and Zambia.
Does the IBP work only with NGOs? The International Project is an independent group with a mission to support related NGOs. Our work, however, also includes contacts and cooperation with individuals and institutions that have expertise in budget related issues, such as international organizations, governments and universities.
What are the IBP's activities? - Providing training and technical assistance.
Can the International Budget Project fund my organization? The IBP has worked with civil society and donor partners to launch a granting project and facilitate greater investment in applied budget work. In 2004 the Civil Society Budget Initiative (CSBI) was formed as a donor and civil society partnership that aims to nurture budget analysis and advocacy capacity in civil society organizations in low-income countries. CSBI is particularly interested in supporting organizations that envisage building budget-focused work as a core part of their strategic vision in countries where the environment is conducive to initiating this work. To this end, CSBI provides a combination of financial, technical, and learning/networking support to nascent budget groups by drawing on the capacities of established budget groups around the world.
Is the International Budget Project affiliated with any government? The IBP is not affiliated with any government.
The IBP is funded by the Department for International Development (DFID), the Ford Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Open Society Institute, and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).
Our overall goal is to make budget systems more transparent and accountable to the public, and thus more responsive to the needs of society. A key element of our strategy to achieve this goal is quality research, but we also place great emphasis on presentation and distribution, and on ensuring that reports are accessible to a broad audience. Our research aims to be solid and accurate, but it also attempts to be relevant to ongoing policy debates in a timely manner. In short, the focus of the International Project is applied research and not academic research.
Is it difficult to find information about budget related issues or policies? Access to budget-related information differs considerably by country, but the international trend is moving towards more transparency. The resources section of our web site features a number of useful links to sites with information on budget issues, as well as to documents that can be downloaded directly from the web.
If my organization is mainly involved in policy work, can we expand our work into budget analysis? Certainly! Budget analysis in combination with an expertise on a particular policy issue is a strong pairing. The budget is perhaps the most important policy document, and policy researchers and advocates will be more effective if they have a thorough understanding of budget issues.
All information from the International Project and the Center is free and can be reproduced and circulated as you wish.
The most efficient way is to send an e-mail to info@internationalbudget.org or contact one of the budget groups in your country. We will try to respond to your inquiry as soon as possible.
How do I use this site? I'm having trouble navigating through the information. We have tried to make this site easily navigable, but different people use the web in different ways, so if you are unable to find what you're looking for, you might want to first refer to our site map. The map will reveal the structure and content of this site. If you are looking for information pertaining to a specific budget area or topic, we suggest that you use our search engine. As always, we encourage you to contact us at info@internationalbudget.org if you have additional questions, comments, or suggestions.
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Language Options: Spanish | French | German | Italian | Portuguese | (Automated translations provided by AltaVista)
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