This paper addresses issues relating to the establishment and financial management of extrabudgetary funds (EBFs), a large group of government entities that on average accounts for 40 to 45 percent of central government expenditure-two-thirds of which represents social security funds-in...

This paper focuses on the Public Financial Management—Performance Report for the Maldives. In line with the Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) methodology, the assessment focuses on the fiscal performance during 2005–08, and the institutions and procedures that...

This paper compares Canadian central government budget forecasting with forecasting by other industrial countries. While fiscal forecasting in Canada is governed by one of the strongest institutional frameworks, quantitative analysis suggests that budget projections of macroeconomic and fiscal...

This report examines the Observance of Standards and Codes on Fiscal Transparency for Colombia. Colombia has made considerable progress in improving transparency in public finances. Major initiatives include: adoption of the Presidential Anti-Corruption Plan; improvement in the management of...

The paper notes that the development of sound budgetary institutions in countries such as France, the U.K. and the U.S. has taken a very long time?200 years or more?and is still evolving. It discusses Douglass North's prediction?which is supported by available data?that institutional reform is...

Transparent public financial management at the subnational level requires institutions and processes that mirror those needed at the central government level, in order to generate better accountability and competition among different subnational governments, critical elements in ensuring good...

This paper examines the merits of the British budget management system that was inherited in Anglophone African countries and which has changed substantially in the United Kingdom since the 1960s. It considers whether the disappointing budgetary performance in Africa is due to weaknesses in the...