Conflict, Legitimacy and Government Reform: Equitable Allocation of ...

Panel Discussion
Centre publishes the results of those ratings and compares the
ratings of different government services. Research has
demonstrated that the quality of services for all citizens improved
dramatically between 1998 to 2004. 14
Budget monitoring and tracking: Citizens can ensure that
budget allocation for education services is allocated equitably and
effectively by tracking the budget against performance objectives.
In Uganda there was great difficulty in getting the education
budget to the targeted districts until 2004, when the government
published the budget in the newspaper. After the publication,
there was a marked improvement in ensuring the resources were
allocated more equitably.
Participatory budgeting: This is a process which engages citizens
at the community level in defining their own priorities and
providing input on how a portion of the budget should be
allocated to meet those priorities. One of Latin America’s first
participatory budgeting processes was done in Porto Alegre,
Brazil in 1989 and the process has spread throughout Brazil and
Latin America and into Europe, Asia, Africa and North America.
Participatory budgeting is believed to have led to direct
improvements in facilities in Porto Alegre, Brazil. For example,
sewer and water connections increased from 75% of households
in 1988 to 98% in 1997. The number of schools quadrupled
since 1986. Also, Porto Alegre’s health and education budget
increased from 13% (1985) to almost 40% (1996), and the share
of the participatory budget in the total budget increased from
17% (1992) to 21% (1999). 15
Engaging citizens in consultative processes to develop policies
and laws: Thailand launched a comprehensive community
consultation process to get input from citizens across the country
14 Public Affairs Centre, Banglalore.
15 http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTEMPOWERMENT/Resources/
14657_Partic-Budg-Brazil-web.pdf
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