Budget Tracking for CSOs in the Nigerian Health Sector

This document discusses contemporary issues in public financial management (PFM) reform. It notes that existing PFM reform approaches have not worked well, as they do not adequately consider the complex, contextual factors involved. There is a growing consensus that "best practice" ideas are less relevant, and reforms need to focus on "good" or "good enough" practices tailored to each country's circumstances. However, donors and international financial institutions continue promoting advanced country models in developing nations. The document argues for a more realistic, incremental, and context-sensitive approach to PFM reform, prioritizing basic reforms and building the capabilities of central financial agencies. Reform strategies also need to address new challenges like resource revenue management and decentralization.

Presented by Dr. Nelson Gitonga, Insight Health Advisor, Kenya during Regional AIDS Training Network (RATN) 12th General Council Meeting held in Mombasa, Kenya from 24th - 29th June 2013

This document provides a final report from a team of students at Duke University on policy recommendations for Twin Lakes Community, a continuing care retirement community, regarding resident participation in the annual budget process. The team conducted a literature review on participatory budgeting and stakeholder engagement practices. They interviewed management at four nearby CCRCs, Twin Lakes management, and Twin Lakes residents. The team recommends that Twin Lakes creates a Resident Finance Committee to be involved in the budget process. The committee would work with management to develop a mission statement and meet regularly. The report provides an implementation plan and suggestions for formalizing the committee's role long-term.

- According to the Open Budget Survey 2017, Bangladesh's budget transparency score declined from the highest in South Asia in 2015 to 41% in 2017, indicating limited public access to budget information. - The study evaluated how governments make key budget documents available to the public and provide opportunities for civic participation in the budget process. Bangladesh provided few such opportunities. - To improve transparency and accountability, the document recommends strengthening the audit institution's independence, establishing an independent fiscal institution, simplifying budget documents, and increasing public participation in the budget process.

Presented at the Strategic Policy Planning, Implementation and Evaluation training workshop held at Source of the Nile Hotel, Jinja. Oct 1,2015

This document discusses four frameworks for establishing governmental service priorities: incremental, conceptual, performance, and reevaluation. The incremental framework focuses on year-to-year changes from previous funding levels. The conceptual framework examines the proper role of government and community values. The performance framework emphasizes measuring outcomes. The reevaluation framework combines elements of the other approaches and encourages collaboration among stakeholders. Each framework has benefits but also limitations, such as being minimally responsive to change, not conducive to public participation, or difficult to quantify outcomes.

The OECD focuses on promoting policy monitoring and evaluation through three pillars: use, institutional framework, and quality. Monitoring and evaluation can support strategic planning, enhance accountability, and promote learning to improve policy effectiveness. The OECD collects data on evaluation practices in over 40 countries and provides capacity building support to help countries strengthen their ability to use evidence in policymaking.

The document discusses financial management reforms in India. It defines public finance management and outlines some of the traditional approaches. It notes recommendations have been made to shift the focus from inputs to outcomes, adopt a medium-term budget framework aligned with plans and accounts, and provide greater autonomy and decentralization. Weaknesses in the budgetary process are also summarized, including unrealistic estimates, a lack of coordination between policy, planning and budgeting, and an overemphasis on inputs over outcomes.

Donors have struggled to effectively strengthen institutions like Sierra Leone's Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS) following periods of conflict and fragility. Over multiple phases from 2002-2016: - Donor support was often unpredictable, short-term, and led to fragmented agendas that undermined MoHS legitimacy and capacity. Reforms announced by MoHS were rarely fully implemented. - Initiatives like the Free Health Care Initiative triggered some positive changes but faced implementation challenges. Donors sometimes set up parallel structures and paid higher salaries that depleted MoHS staff. - Events like the 2014 Ebola outbreak further weakened MoHS authority as emergency responses centralized control. Post-Ebola recovery saw continued

The public policy process document outlines the key steps in developing and implementing public policy: problem recognition, agenda setting, policy formulation, policy adoption, budgeting, policy implementation, and policy evaluation. It discusses how problems are identified and brought to the attention of government officials, alternative solutions are considered, policies are approved and funded, policies are administered through government agencies, and policies are assessed for their impact.

Public policy implementation and programs are shaped by various factors including expertise, leadership, politics, and budgets. Programs operationalize public policy goals to address societal problems. The policymaking process involves legislative development of policies, administrative implementation through rulemaking and programs, and judicial/legislative review. Effective implementation requires planning, interpretation of legislative intent, and application of programs. Evaluation determines program success through data collection and analysis methods like before/after studies and controlled experiments. Evaluation results inform continuation, termination, or changes to policy and future planning.

Presented at “Financial Protection and Improved Access to Health Care: Peer-to-Peer Learning Workshop Finding Solutions to Common Challenges” in Accra, Ghana, February 2016. To learn more, visit: https://www.hfgproject.org/ghana-uhc-workshop