Book Reviews

Robin Hodess of the Transparency International Secretariat reviews “Open Budgets: The Political Economy of Transparency, Participation, and Accountability”, by Sanjeev Khagram, Archon Fung, and Paolo de Renzio. The Econlit abstract of this book begins: “Eight papers explore the causes and consequences of fiscal transparency, participation, and accountability. Papers discuss the origins, sources of sustenance, and survival prospects of budget transparency in South Africa; accountability from the top down?—Brazil's advances in budget accountability despite a lack of popular mobilization; a mutually reinforcing loop—budget transparency and participation in South Korea; budget transparency and accountability in Mexico—high hopes, low performance; Guatemala—limited advances within advancing limits; the limits of top–down reform—budget transparency in Tanzania; the diversification of state power—Vietnam's alternative path toward budget transparency, accountability, and participation; and capturing movement at the margins—Senegal's efforts at budget transparency reform. Khagram is John Parke Young Professor of Global Political Economy, Diplomacy, and World Affairs at Occidental College and Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum. Fung is Ford Foundation Professor of Democracy and Citizenship with the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. De Renzio is Senior Research Fellow with the International Budget Partnership, Research Associate at the Overseas Development Institute, and Research Associate at Oxford University.”