One constant obstacle that budget-focused civil society organizations face is making budgets accessible and interesting to the general public. Since TAP began in 2007, our team has seen many examples of innovative ways to help people make the connection between line items for pharmaceuticals or school construction projects and their daily use of public services. A recent visit to India and Uganda to meet with former and current TAP grantees provided me with an opportunity to learn about new creative methods that civil society organizations are using to get people excited about holding their governments accountable for spending and service delivery.

 

Much of the work that our grantees do is related to education service delivery, and it is easy to see why. A significant fraction of public spending in most countries goes directly toward educating future generations of policymakers, researchers, and NGO leaders. Yet budget publications are not often produced with young citizens in mind. Unnayan Shamannay, a non-profit organization for research, development, and cultural learning, began filling this gap for Bangladesh in 2005 with its publication Budgets Made Easier. Like many budget-focused CSOs, Unnayan Shamannay publishes an annual pamphlet analyzing the proposed national budget and translating how money is actually being spent for those working on public expenditure issues (Budgets Made Easy). However, such publications do not always provide learning opportunities for people who benefit from public spending but do not understand the basic budgeting process.

 

Budgets Made Easier is disseminated widely to secondary school children in Bangladesh and, according to Unnayan Shammanay faculty member Iftekharul Haque and Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies Research Fellow Zulfiqar Ali, the publication has generated action on the part of students in schools where the product is distributed. Not only does the publication provide information to students about national budgeting in Bangladesh; it has also encouraged students to ask questions about school budgets, a topic that is much closer to home for many youth.  School administrators are now required to make their yearly budgets available to students and to hold public forums during which students can express concerns or feedback about the planned expenditures for the year. An interest in school expenditures now will hopefully translate into a budget-literate and enthusiastic civil society in the years to come.

 

For more information about Unnayan Shammanay and Budgeting Made Easier, visit their website.