Question 135

Do one or more line ministries use participation mechanisms through which the public can provide input during the formulation or implementation of the annual budget?
 * a. Yes, at least one line ministry uses open participation mechanisms through which members of the public and government officials exchange views on the budget.
 * b. Yes, at least one line ministry uses open participation mechanisms through which members of the public provide their inputs on the budget.
 * c. Yes, at least one line ministry uses participation mechanisms during the budget formulation or implementation phase, but either these mechanisms capture only some ad-hoc views, or the executive invites specific individuals or groups for budget discussions (participation is not, in practice, open to everyone).
 * d. The requirements for a “c” response or above are not met.
 * e. Not applicable (please comment).

OBS Guidelines
While questions 125 – 134 focus only on participation mechanisms that the Ministry of Finance, lead budget agency, or central coordinating agency currently use to allow the public to participate in the national budget process, this question asks about participation mechanisms used by line ministries to allow the public to participate in national budget processes. Thus, participation mechanisms used by the Ministry of Finance, lead budget agency, or central coordinating agency should not be used to answer this question. If there is more than one mechanism used by a line ministry or if multiple line ministries use participation mechanisms, please select the deepest or most interactive mechanism that reflects the government’s efforts to incorporate citizens’ input into the formulation and/or implementation of the annual budget.

This question reflects the GIFT principles on “Inclusiveness” and “Timeliness” and assesses the extent to which the participation mechanism(s) used by the executive are truly interactive and involve a two-way conversation between citizens and the executive. The drafting of this question and its answers are partially drawn from the IAP2 Spectrum of Public Participation, in particular with regards to the concepts of “involvement” (option “a” in the responses) and “consultation” (option “b”). See: https://cdn.ymaws.com.

To answer “a,” a line ministry must use open participation mechanisms that involve the public in the formulation or implementation of the annual budget. This means that a public process is in place whereby CSOs and/or individual members of the public and government officials interact, and have the opportunity to express their opinions to each other in what can be considered a public dialogue between them (i.e., in-person and online discussion forums). Additionally, the mechanism should be open to any CSO and/or individual members of the public who wish to participate. By selecting this answer, the researcher must present evidence to support the presence of a public dialogue among citizens and government official. Examples include public meetings and online deliberative exchanges.

Answer “b” applies if an open consultation mechanism is in place whereby members of the public (i.e., individuals and/or CSOs as well as academics, independent experts, policy think tanks, and business organizations) can provide their input in the formulation or implementation of the annual budget. This answer applies if the government is using a mechanism that is structured and well established, and not ad-hoc. The researcher must present evidence to support the presence of consultative processes through which a line ministry seeks out inputs from citizens. Examples include surveys, focus groups, report cards, published policy consultation exercises, and online platforms that government officials actively manage to solicit inputs.

Answer “c” applies if a line ministry has established a mechanism or mechanisms to allow citizens to participate in the budget formulation phase, but:

and/or
 * 1) The mechanisms are not structured and happen only on ad-hoc basis, or not regularly.


 * 2) A line ministry consults with and/or interacts with, citizens, but there is discretion in who is allowed to participate, and the line ministry determines fully or partially such selection process by inviting specific groups (for example by making an open call but just to experts from a particular sector, or naming specific organizations). While it is not possible for all citizens and/or CSOs to participate in this or other phases of the budget process, options “a” and “b” apply if the government does not exercise any discretion in determining who is allowed to participate. While there is likely going to be self-selection, it is important that the selection is not made by the executive.

In cases where there is discretion in who is allowed to participate, to select answer choice “c”, there should be some sort of public record (held in public, minutes of meetings released to public) so that all CSOs and individual members of the public can have knowledge of the meeting, who participated, and what was discussed.

The researcher must present evidence to support selection of a “c” response.

Examples of mechanisms that might qualify as a “c” response include hotlines, Facebook announcements, and one-off meetings with NGOs in which there is a public record.

(1) Guidance around participation mechanisms at a sub-national level
If researchers can prove that sub-national engagements do influence national budgets, please bring such cases to the team.

(2) What should we do if the participation mechanisms are organized by an agency other than the lead budget agency?
In some countries, there is a Ministry of Public Administration that engages with citizens to monitor service delivery. In others, the Ministry of Planning engages in pre-budget consultations. The guidelines mention “central coordinating agency designated by the government to implement participation mechanisms”.

In OBS 2017 we accepted a few instances where the websites were operated by the Prime Minister’s Office but were clearly linked to one of the key topics that we list in Question 127 and Question 130. We should ask researchers to identify links with budget and the key topics we have listed. Please bring such cases to the team.

External references

 * IAP2 Spectrum of Public Participation