scholarly journals Online Openness and Transparency of Local Budgets in Belarus

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (55) ◽  
pp. 144-162
Author(s):  
Yuri V. Krivorotko ◽  
Dmitriy V. Sokol
Keyword(s):  
Local Level ◽  
Budget Process ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Financial Openness ◽  
The Public ◽  
Local Finance ◽  
The World ◽  
Expert Assessments ◽  
Local Budget ◽  
Global Initiative

Abstract World experience shows that public participation in the budget process and openness in the public sector are the necessary conditions for a proper economic strategy of the State. Financial openness contributes to the efficient collection and distribution of public resources. It expands the responsibility of governments, strengthens the trust of citizens and prevents opportunities for corruption. Researchers around the world (Alt, Lassen, Skilling, Bernick, Gandía, Yannacopoulos, Darbyshire, Slukhai and others) and international organisations such as the International Monetary Fund, OECD, the World Bank, the International Budget Partnership (IBP), the Global Initiative for Financial Transparency and the Open Government Partnership have shown growing interest in financial openness issues in recent years. This paper attempts to develop and test a methodology for the operational analysis of online information openness and transparency of the budget process at the local level. The developed methodology used two criteria: (1) the level of transparency of the local budget and (2) an assessment of authority's efforts in ensuring transparency of local budgets. It is based on expert assessments of the informational significance of particular elements of websites of local authorities in issues of local finance and budget. We interpret the resulting assessment of the information content of the site with the local budget and finances data as the online openness and transparency of local budgets Online Local Budget Index of Transparency (OLBIT).

scholarly journals Using forms of direct democracy to ensure public participation in the municipal budget process

2020 ◽  
pp. 48-58
Author(s):  
Natalya Vasilyeva ◽  
Yuliya Pyatkovskaya
Keyword(s):  
Public Participation ◽  
State Policy ◽  
Direct Democracy ◽  
Budget Process ◽  
Video Conference ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Hearings ◽  
Local Budget ◽  
Municipal Level

The article notes that the requirement of openness (transparency) of budget relations is one of the priority directions of state policy and the criterion of the international rating. Russia has the lowest rating on the index of public participation in the budget process. In this regard, the budget relations at the municipal level are in a better position, since public hearings are required for drafts of the local budget and the report on its implementation. The authors evaluate this form of direct democracy in order to ensure public participation in the budget process, conclude that it is minimally sufficient, and suggest that public hearings should work to bring the «budget for citizens» to the public. The article also discusses other forms of direct democracy. It is concluded that there is a legislative ban on the use of forms of mandatory democracy in the budget process, as well as on the legality and expediency of such regulation. It is recommended to use a survey of citizens as a form of consultative democracy. It is proposed to consider the possibility of using public discussions and holding public hearings in the format of a video conference in budget relations.

scholarly journals Forms and mechanisms of participatory democracy

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-25
Author(s):  
Tetiana Kuzhda ◽  
Mykhailo Halushchak ◽  
Olha Halushchak
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Participatory Democracy ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Budget Process ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Hearings ◽  
Local Initiatives ◽  
The Government ◽  
Local Budget

The most important aspects of effective citizen-government interaction, successful development of civil society institutions, community and state depend on forming, legal consolidation and practical use of an effective forms and mechanisms of participatory democracy in Ukraine. Effective practical use of participatory democracy depends on the legal framework, the government's willingness to cooperate, as well as the competence and willingness to engage with civil society activists and the proper development of civil society institutions that contribute to democratization and development of Ukrainian society. The levels of citizen-government interaction including an informational, informational-consultative, mutual participation have been expanded by singling out the constant dialogue and mutual participation, public control and e-democracy. The citizens’ appeals, electronic petitions, public hearings, meetings of citizens at the place of residence, local initiatives, local referendum, advisory bodies, self-organization bodies, public discussions and public expertise as the forms of participatory democracy have been described in the article. The differences between the forms of participatory democracy in terms of the order of their preparation, implementation and legal consequences have been indicated. The role of public participation in the budget process has been determined and the participation budget was singled out as a tool of the community for better understanding of local budget and forming their own projects. The advantages of practical use of participatory democracy for the public and the government have been clarified, in particular, strengthening the level of mutual dialogue, increasing its efficiency and the government's response to public problems; growing citizens' trust in the government; improving the image of government through the implementation of transparency, openness and involvement; and consideration of public recommendations by the subjects of power within the framework of certain procedures.

scholarly journals User Based Design Model to Enhance Satisfaction by using Government Online Information

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2S11) ◽  
pp. 755-761
Keyword(s):  
Online Information ◽  
Usage Pattern ◽  
Government Information ◽  
Government Service ◽  
The Public ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
The World ◽  
Usage Patterns ◽  
Worldwide Web

Government information online is a transformation of relations between the internal and external public sector, through ICT, to enhance government service delivery and participation in the citizenry. By using government information online, a lot of advantages can be obtained, and it is important for users from different generations to obtain positive benefits from them. As the world is quickly growing without boundaries, the Internet and the worldwide web have become a common means of providing government information and services to the public, the companies and other governmental organizations. This paper reports a review on the analysis of the usage patterns of government online information for different generation cohort and existing work related to satisfaction of online information. The analysis were based on two questions that address the usage patterns of government online information and existing works related to satisfaction. Based on seventy selected articles reviewed, it was found that we found that ‘education purpose’ is the most commonly investigated usage pattern and most of related works of satisfaction focusing in developing model and framework.

scholarly journals Micro Nudges: A Systems Approach to Health

2021 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 593-596
Author(s):  
Dan Buettner
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Population Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health And Wellness ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
The Public ◽  
The World ◽  
Improve Health

The secret to longevity and healthier communities lies in a systems-level lifestyle-based approach. There are currently 5 regions across the world where people live relatively longer, healthier, and happier lives. Taking lessons from these areas, dubbed “blue zones,” we can help improve health and wellness at the population level. There are already cases of these Blue Zones Projects implemented in communities across the United States, which have had demonstrable, positive impacts on public health. Collaboration between the public and private sectors at the local level can make these changes to improve lifestyles and reduce the burden of chronic diseases on the healthcare system.

scholarly journals Heritage Management at the Local Level: Heritage Communities and Role of Local Authorities

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jelka Pirkovič
Keyword(s):  
Public Interest ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Participatory Approach ◽  
Heritage Management ◽  
Local Authorities ◽  
The Public ◽  
World Heritage Convention ◽  
The World

Heritage management at the local level benefits heritage properties and serves the public interest. By using comparative and interpretative analyses, we argue for the use of the “heritage community” term in current heritage management, and analyse what this expression brings for the role of local authorities. We upgrade this definition with attributes that characterize heritage communities. The paper presents the evolution of the concept of participatory heritage management in the context of the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention. It tests the relevance of the participatory approach in the heritage field against the theory of social systems. Conclusions comprise principles defining the role of local authorities in facilitating direct participation of heritage communities in heritage management.

scholarly journals A Strategy for a Sustainable Local Government: Are Participatory Governments More Efficient, Effective, and Equitable in the Budget Process?

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (19) ◽  
pp. 5312 ◽  
Author(s):  
Youngmin Oh ◽  
Seong-ho Jeong ◽  
Heontae Shin
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Participation ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Policy Decision ◽  
Budget Process ◽  
Institutional Perspective ◽  
Financial Outcomes ◽  
Local Finance ◽  
Large N ◽  
Policy Decision Making ◽  
Participation Mechanisms

Citizen participation in budget processes is an attractive governance strategy for creating sustainable local finance. In participatory governance, citizens are engaged in the governmental policy decision-making process for sustainable communities. Despite the importance of a participatory government, its instrumental benefits are uncertain and remain unexamined at the local level. No one has offered any extensive evidence based on large-N data to ascertain such benefits. This article fills this gap in the literature by testing the impacts of participatory budgeting on local financial outcomes. The results show that participatory governments are financially more effective and equitable without sacrificing efficiency. Advancing a more institutional perspective, this article explains the identified effects of participation mechanisms in the budget process on different local financial outcomes.

scholarly journals ENSURING INDEPENDENCE OF LOCAL BUDGETS UNDER CONDITIONS OF FINANCIAL DECENTRALIZATION

2021 ◽  
pp. 144-156
Author(s):  
Vitalii PYSMENNYI
Keyword(s):  
Income Tax ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Financial Resources ◽  
Tax Revenue ◽  
Corporate Tax ◽  
Local Finance ◽  
Revenue Sources ◽  
State Budgets ◽  
Local Budget ◽  
Different Levels

The article investigates the modern conditions and problems of forming local budget revenues in Ukraine. It is determined that local budgets must function as a well-oiled machine ensuring the equivalence of financial resources and planned allocations under conditions of financial decentralization. Approaches to ensuring budgetary independence are substantiated, outlining the tools necessary for local self-government bodies to ensure their capacity to develop. It is established that increased emphasis on independence of local budgets can become one the levers used for ensuring the local finance system complies with the principles of the European Charter of Local Self-Government and Law of Ukraine «On Local Self-Government in Ukraine». For this purpose, local self-governments are recommended to establish a sufficient and stable revenue base by introducing their own taxes and fees, expanding the non-tax revenue sources, changing the distribution of the revenues from the income tax and corporate tax between government budgets of different levels, creating community funds of economic development, balancing subsidies and subventions. It is argued that budgetary independence is an economic ideal that local self-government bodies should strive for. Its antipodes are rigid financial dependence of local budgets on state budgets, lack of own revenues, and ineffective distribution of funds between budgets of different levels. Additionally, the revenue sources specified in the legislature do not allow the authorities to sustain expenditures with the levies at local level. It is substantiated that territories with independent local budgets can create the state economic environment that corresponds to the principles of financial decentralization.

scholarly journals Local finance transparency in Ukraine

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inna Shkolnyk ◽  
Tetyana Melnyk ◽  
Yuliia Havrysh ◽  
Andrii Ivanchenko
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Community Involvement ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Public Procurement ◽  
Public Confidence ◽  
Budget Process ◽  
Local Finance ◽  
The Government ◽  
Local Budget ◽  
High Level

Transparency in public and local finance is one of the most important factors in building a democratic society with high level of public confidence in the government. Democratic shifts in a country will only take place if citizens perceive the country’s government and local self-government as fully transparent and controlled by them. Citizens will be able to support and cooperate with the government if it informs them of all public activities: decision-making, financial reporting, planning, local budget expenditures, etc. Transparency in the formation and use of local financial resources is the most sensitive issue.Local finance transparency has been studied from the perspective of 21 online portals of local authorities from four Ukrainian regions, geographically remote in the context of two main blocks, namely, the state of public procurement and the budget process. The portals of Lviv, Vinnytsia, Sumy, Mykolaiv administrative centers and the city of Kyiv were identified in each region (oblast), and in each oblast, four cities with the district status, which are the largest by population, were identified. Significant discrepancies in local finance transparency have been identified, as portals of regional centers and a small number of districts have high levels of transparency. The vast majority have low transparency in local finances. In addition, the level of community involvement in the regional development problems through social networks was analyzed. The population of small cities was found to be more active. Most local governments should pay attention to the low level of portals in terms of making them user-friendly.

“All in a Garden Green”: Shakespeare's Staging of Garden Imagery

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 227-252
Author(s):  
Deborah Solomon
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
Literary Tradition ◽  
The Public ◽  
The World ◽  
Audience Interaction ◽  
The Many ◽  
Green World

This essay draws attention to the surprising lack of scholarship on the staging of garden scenes in Shakespeare's oeuvre. In particular, it explores how garden scenes promote collaborative acts of audience agency and present new renditions of the familiar early modern contrast between the public and the private. Too often the mention of Shakespeare's gardens calls to mind literal rather than literary interpretations: the work of garden enthusiasts like Henry Ellacombe, Eleanour Sinclair Rohde, and Caroline Spurgeon, who present their copious gatherings of plant and flower references as proof that Shakespeare was a garden lover, or the many “Shakespeare Gardens” around the world, bringing to life such lists of plant references. This essay instead seeks to locate Shakespeare's garden imagery within a literary tradition more complex than these literalizations of Shakespeare's “flowers” would suggest. To stage a garden during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries signified much more than a personal affinity for the green world; it served as a way of engaging time-honored literary comparisons between poetic forms, methods of audience interaction, and types of media. Through its metaphoric evocation of the commonplace tradition, in which flowers double as textual cuttings to be picked, revised, judged, and displayed, the staged garden offered a way to dramatize the tensions produced by creative practices involving collaborative composition and audience agency.

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