Governments around the world need to set more realistic and credible spending plans if there is any hope of achieving the ambitious agenda laid out in the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs). This conclusion comes from a new study of 35 countries, across incomes and geographies, by the International Budget Partnership (IBP). The study’s findings were discussed today at UNICEF headquarters during an event jointly organized by UNICEF, the French and Zambian governments, and
IBP. Read more here.
Taxation, believe it or not, has become a hot topic in international development. The need to mobilize additional resources to finance the Sustainable Development Goals, coupled with doubts about rich countries’ capacity and willingness to foot the multi-trillion dollar bill attached to the SDGs, have brought unprecedented attention to government efforts to raise more revenues domestically. Read more in Paolo De Renzio’s review of ‘Taxing Africa: Coercion, Reform and Development’.
When communities can identify which specific officials are responsible for services in their area and what exactly they are supposed to be delivering – the effect is electric. It gives the issue a name, a face, and a set of responsibilities. Read more here.
Interest in public participation in the budget process is increasing, and the sector could learn a lot from practices in other sectors, such as the environment. As IBP’s Jason Lakin points out, we too often stay in our silos instead of looking to other fields for lessons learned about how to increase citizen engagement. Read more here.
