Question 49

Does the Executive’s Budget Proposal or any supporting budget documentation present nonfinancial data on inputs to be acquired for at least the budget year?
 * a. Yes, nonfinancial data on inputs are provided for each program within all administrative units (or functions).
 * b. Yes, nonfinancial data on inputs are presented for all administrative units (or functions) but not for all (or any) programs.
 * c. Yes, nonfinancial data on inputs are presented for some programs and/or some administrative units (or functions).
 * d. No, nonfinancial data on inputs are not presented.
 * e. Not applicable/other (please comment).

Note on nonfinancial data
The budget should disclose not only the amount of money that is being allocated on a program but also any information needed to analyze that expenditure. Nonfinancial data and performance targets associated with budget proposals are used to assess the success of a given policy. For example, even when allocated funds are spent according to plan, there remains the question of whether the policy delivered the results that it aimed to achieve.

Nonfinancial data can include information on:
 * Inputs - These are the resources assigned to achieve results. For example, in regards to education, nonfinancial data on inputs could include the number of books to be provided to each school or the materials to be used to build or refurbish a school.
 * Outputs - These are products and services delivered as a result of inputs. For example, the number of pupils taught every year; the number of children that received vaccines; or the number of beneficiaries of a social security program.
 * Outcomes - These are the intended impact or policy goals achieved. For example, an increase in literacy rates among children under 10, or a reduction in rates of maternal mortality.

In addition, governments that set performance targets must use nonfinancial data for outputs and outcomes to determine if these targets have been met.

Guidelines
Question 49 asks about the availability of nonfinancial data on inputs for the budget year. (Nonfinancial data on outputs and outcomes are addressed in Question 50.)

To answer “a,” the Executive’s Budget Proposal or supporting documentation must present, for at least the budget year, nonfinancial data on inputs for each individual program within all administrative units (ministries, departments, and agencies). It is also acceptable if nonfinancial data on inputs for each individual program is organized by functions. To answer “b,” the Executive’s Budget Proposal or supporting documentation must present nonfinancial data on inputs for all administrative units or all functions, but not for each individual program (or even for any programs) within those administrative units or functions. A “c” response applies if nonfinancial data on inputs are presented only for some programs and/or some administrative units or some functions. Answer “d” applies if no nonfinancial data on inputs is presented.

1) How should we score countries that have only one type of input (e.g. staffing) presented for each ministry?
This could potentially be a “b” or a “c” score, depending how you read the answer choices for Q49: • “B” asks for “nonfinancial data on inputs … for all administrative units (or functions) but not for all (or any) programs; • “C” asks for : “nonfinancial data on inputs are presented for some programs and/or some administrative units”

We will consider a “b” response most appropriate here, because of the way the question is worded (it deals with how many administrative units include nonfinancial data on inputs, not with the number of inputs per administrative unit).

See Malaysia, South Korea and the Philippines in OBS 2019.