Question 66

Has the executive established mechanisms to identify the public’s requirements for budget information prior to publishing the Citizens Budget?
 * a. Yes, the executive has established mechanisms to identify the public’s requirements for budget information in the Citizen’s Budget, and these mechanisms are accessible and widely used by the public.
 * b. Yes, the executive has established mechanisms to identify the public’s requirements for budget information in the Citizen’s Budget; while these mechanisms are accessible they are not widely used by the public.
 * c. Yes, the executive has established mechanisms to identify the public’s requirements for budget information in the Citizen’s Budget, but these mechanisms are not accessible.
 * d. No, the executive has not established any mechanisms to identify the public’s requirements for budget information in the Citizen’s Budget.
 * e. Not applicable/other (please comment).

OBS Guidelines
Question 66 asks whether the executive has established mechanisms to identify the public’s requirements for budget information before publishing a Citizens Budget. What the public wants to know about the budget might differ from the information the executive includes in technical documents that comprise the Executive’s Budget Proposal or the Enacted Budget; similarly, different perspectives might exist on how the budget should be presented, and this may vary depending on the context. For this reason the executive should consult with the public on the content and presentation of the Citizens Budget.

To answer “a,” the executive must have established mechanisms to consult with the public, and these mechanisms for consultation are both accessible and widely used by the public. Such mechanisms can include focus groups, social networks, surveys, hotlines, and meetings/events in universities or other locations where people gather to discuss public issues. In countries where Citizens Budgets are consistently produced and released, it may be sufficient for the government to provide the public with contact information and feedback opportunities, and subsequently use the feedback to improve its management of public resources.

Option “b” applies if the executive has established mechanisms for consultation that are accessible to the public, but that the public nonetheless does not use frequently. That is, the public does not typically engage with the executive on the content of the Citizens Budget, even though the executive has created opportunities for such consultation. Option “c” applies if the executive has established mechanism for consultation with the public, but they are poorly designed and thus not accessible to the public. Option “d” applies if the executive has not created any mechanisms to seek feedback from the public on the content of the Citizens Budget.

1) The case of Saudi Arabia in OBS 2021
In Saudi Arabia in OBS 2021, the researcher interviewed the government and found there are several workshops held online and dedicated events at universities through which the MoF present the findings of the budget and engage the public on various issues, as well as other channels such as a mobile hotline. While none are dedicated to collecting input into the Citizens Budget, internal sources at the MoF confirm that many such comments and calls received are dedicated to this issue. We scored this question “d” because the input from the MoF did not directly show engagement on information to be included in the citizen's report prior to its release.