Program Overview
Friday, May 12, 2006            11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Panel on the Recent Research on Local Public Budgeting and Finance, LGI
Room	White hall III
Related to	Panel on the Recent Research on Local Public Budg... LGI
Moderator:	George Guess, Open Society Institute Hungary, Budapest, Hungary
Background Budget reforms in the past several decades around the world have varied by region and within them. In poorer countries, such basic reforms as improvement in budget calendars could be considered success. Within developing countries, smaller cities have improved reporting practices to reduce arrears and fiscal deficits. In larger cities, systems have been improved to measure costs and consequences of different levels of services. This has improved fiscal management of programs and led to better service efficiency and effectiveness in many cases. Some reforms have expanded, others have stalled. Not all cities in the Eastern European and Former Soviet regions have been receptive to reforms and much depends on the level of modernity and entrepreneurial culture of the city administration. Most local governments have been subjected to budget reform projects and international consultancies. The real test is less the forms and formats of budget reform and the quality of fiscal databases than whether local governments actually allocate funds consistent with the norms of improved service planning, management control and operational results. Fiscal information generated in many cases does not actually improve overall allocations—though it may lead to better budget management of implementation. Objectives The panel will present the results of current research efforts by LGI’s 2005-2006 Fiscal Fellows. They are working on topics related to budgeting and financial management reforms in a wide range of countries. Specfically, they will focus on three questions? (1) What reforms have been attempted in local financial management? The topic includes the core functions of financial management, e.g. accounting, budgeting, revenue systems, treasury management, capital investment planning and budgeting, fiscal information systems, procurement, cash management, and personnel (so long as linked to accounts and budget planning). (2) What sequences were followed in design and installation of the reforms? Were those successful? (3) What lessons can be drawn from the reform experiences at the levels of strategic-policy planning, management controls, and/or operational considerations? And (4) How have technical budgeting activities been integrated with citizen participation and translated into user friendly budgeting? Has this been successful and what results for allocations and service results?
Speakers: Nadezhda Bobcheva, , Bulgaria Topic: "Municipal Asset Management in Bulgaria" Ioana Muresan, , Romania Topic: "Grant System Allocations: Increasing Transparency and Efficiency" Mihai Copaciu, , Romania Topic: "Tax Reform in Romania and its Impact on Local Budget Revenues" Suren Poghosyan, , Armenia Topic: "Community Budget Reforms in Armenia" Andrea Tonko, Budapest, Hungary Topic: "Hungarian Municipal Budget Reform" Papers: