Advancing Gender Responsive Budgeting in South Africa

Posted by Robert Clifton, Vincent Tang, Xavier Rame, Prudence Cele, and Nompumelelo Radebe^[1]

Despite advances in gender equality and women’s empowerment since the inception of democracy, South Africa is still confronting the challenge of gender-based inequality. For example, in 2018, women’s median monthly earnings were 76% of men's median monthly earnings.  While some studies point out that the fiscal system is at least partially responsive to gender equity,[2] the COVID-19 pandemic has generally further exacerbated existing vulnerabilities in the society and economy, for both women and men.[3]

Fiscal Transparency Portals: Lessons from Latin America

Posted by Aura Martinez^[1]

Ten Latin-American governments within the Global Initiative on Fiscal Transparency’s (GIFT) Network came together in late 2020 to create the Portals Working Group. This Working Group aims to assist the public in contributing to the development of public policies and monitoring their implementation. The participating countries are: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, and Uruguay. The Working Group is currently led by the Office of Planning and Budget of the Presidency of the Republic of Uruguay, and GIFT’s Coordination Team.

Sustaining Reform Amidst Conflict in the Middle East: The Role of Institutes of Finance

Posted by Benoit Wiest and Lamia Moubayed^[1]

At its 20^th session, the United Nations Committee of Experts on Public Administration argued that “the problem facing most conflict-affected countries is the potential for a growing gap between those that have effective public institutions […] and those that do not have access to such public capacity”.[2] Institutes of Finance and Schools of Governance in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region play an important role in building public sector capacity. This role takes a particular dimension in conflict-affected countries.

IMF Online Course on Revenue Forecasting and Analysis

Posted by Sebastien Leduc and Dora Benedek^[1]

IMF Online Course on Revenue Forecasting and Analysis (RFAx)
Dates: October 1 – November 26, 2021

The Fiscal Affairs Department and the Institute for Capacity Development of the IMF are pleased to announce the offering of a new online course on Revenue Forecasting and Analysis (RFAx). This free online course, offered on the edX platform, is open to government officials and the general public. The total workload is about 20-35 hours, self-paced over six to eight weeks. Please watch the course introductory video.

Rising to the Challenge—What Next on Fiscal Transparency in Jordan?

Posted by Richard Allen and Nabila Akhazzan^[1]

The IMF has recently published a Fiscal Transparency Evaluation (FTE) report on Jordan which was carried out by the Fund’s Fiscal Affairs and Statistics Departments.

Without comprehensive and reliable fiscal information, governments cannot properly measure the fiscal risks they face or make good budget decisions. And unless that information is made public, citizens and their legislatures cannot hold governments accountable for those decisions. Fiscal transparency is thus a critical element in effective fiscal policymaking and the management of fiscal risks.

Building Better Balance Sheets to Account for Natural Resources

Posted by Bonnie Ann Sirois, Edwin Ng, and Ross Smith ^[1]

In 2018, the IMF’s Fiscal Monitor reported that natural resources assets were equal to 38% of GDP in the countries surveyed, reinforcing the scale and importance of natural resources to governments’ balance sheets. However, the natural capital created by natural resources, including water, minerals, and biodiversity, is often not measured by countries, and is therefore not captured in governments’ balance sheets. In June 2021, a panel of experts hosted by the World Bank explored this issue.