United States
Open Budget Survey 2017
- Downloads:
- Country Summary Questionnaire
IBP considers countries that score above 60 on the Open Budget Index as providing sufficient budget information to enable the public to engage in budget discussions in an informed manner. IBP considers countries scoring above 60 on participation and oversight as providing adequate opportunities for the public to participate in the budget process and providing adequate oversight practices, respectively.
Transparency (Open Budget Index)
77
out of 100
The United States provides the public with substantial budget information.
How Has the Open Budget Index Score Changed Over Time?
Recommendations for Improving Transparency
The United States should prioritize the following actions to improve budget transparency:
- Produce and publish a Citizens Budget.
- Provide comparisons between planned expenditures and planned revenues against actual outcomes in the Year-End Report.
Public Participation
22
out of 100
The United States provides few opportunities for the public to engage with the executive branch in a formal way on budget matters.
Recommendations for Improving Participation
The United States should prioritize the following actions to improve public participation in its budget process:
- Pilot mechanisms for members of the public and executive branch officials to exchange views on national budget matters during the national budget’s formulation and the monitoring of its implementation.
- Establish formal mechanisms for the public to participate in relevant audit investigations.
Budget Oversight (by Legislature & Audit)
85
out of 100
The legislature and supreme audit institution in the United States provide adequate oversight of the budget.
The legislature provides adequate oversight during the budget cycle. This score reflects that the legislature provides adequate oversight during the planning stage of the budget cycle and adequate oversight during the implementation stage of the budget cycle.
The supreme audit institution provides adequate budget oversight.
Recommendations for Improving Oversight
The United States should prioritize the following actions to make budget oversight more effective:
- Ensure legislators approve the annual budget before the start of the budget year.
- Ensure a legislative committee examines the annual Audit Report and publishes a report presenting its finding and recommendations in a timely manner.
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The information on this page presents a partial country summary. For more detailed information, please download: