NDI - Dominican Republic

Budget Oversight Discussed at NDI/World Bank Institute Seminar

ggreene — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 16:31:01 +0000

Parliamentarians and staff members from eight countries on three continents gained new insights into budget oversight in a three-day World Bank Institute (WBI)-NDI seminar that focused, among other things, on the role of parliamentary budget offices in overseeing spending and aiding transparency.

NDI’s director of governance programs, John Johnson, a speaker at the July seminar, discussed the international movement to establish parliamentary budget offices. Such agencies, he said, aid parliaments by reviewing and simplifying executive budget data so members of parliament can more easily use it to influence economic and development policies. The budget analysis also makes budget information more understandable for the public and increases accountability in spending.

To illustrate the benefits and challenges of setting up parliamentary budget offices, Johnson focused on the experience of Uganda in 2001. Initially blocked by the executive, the Uganda Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) was finally pushed through after months of lobbying by supporters. Since its creation, the Uganda PBO has identified ways to maximize tax revenues, developed a simple system for parliamentary committees to monitor expenditures and performed other oversight functions. While a success story, the office’s experiences illustrate that new budget offices need support to overcome both initial and ongoing resistance, Johnson said.

Participants in the seminar were from Thailand, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Nigeria, the Dominican Republic, Ghana, Morocco, and Lebanon. They discussed the oversight systems in place in their countries, avenues for further reform, and the need to overcome legal and cultural barriers to parliamentary budget oversight A theme that arose repeatedly was the importance of nonpartisanship in budget oversight and the difficulty of maintaining it.

The seminar featured guest presentations by Rasheed Draman of Canada’s Parliamentary Center; Barry Anderson, former acting director of the Congressional Budget Office; and Douglas Criscitello, founder of the New York City Independent Budget Office. The speakers addressed aspects of budget oversight and the role of information in the budget process. Participants concluded the seminar by joining break-out groups to discuss steps toward developing budget offices for their own legislatures.

More information on the seminar, including copies of the presentations, may be found on the World Bank Institute web site.

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Published on Sept. 18, 2008

NDI 2005 Annual Report

vrao — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 05:00:00 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

12/01/2005

Resource Type:

Report

Language:

English

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NDI Reports: A Review of the Activities of the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs

vrao — Mon, 21 Jul 2003 04:00:00 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

12/01/2008

Resource Type:

Newsletter

Language:

English

Attachment	Size
Spring 2011: Digital Mapping, Women's Participation, Domestic Monitoring	1.2 MB
December 2008: Making Democracy Deliver	2.37 MB
Summer 2008: Kosovo, Pakistan, Sudan	571.9 KB
Summer 2007: Youth, Women, Technology	801.33 KB
Summer 2006: Bosnia, Liberia, West Bank and Gaza	462.92 KB
Fall 2005: Kosovo, Iraq, Kuwait	865.42 KB
Spring 2005: Ukraine, Iraq, Afghanistan	813.77 KB
Spring 2004: Win With Women, Elections in Eurasia	615.17 KB
Fall 2003: Celebrating 20 Years	808.11 KB
Spring 2003: Women's Leadership in Yemen, Nepal, Senegal	468.06 KB
Fall 2002: Democracy in the Middle East, Cuba	547.6 KB
Spring 2002: Asian Political Parties, Afghanistan	528.32 KB
Winter 2001: Sept. 11, Nicaragua, Belarus	507.47 KB
Summer 2001: Election Monitors in Central & Eastern Europe	683 KB
Spring 2001: Mexico, Peru, Serbia	732.14 KB
Winter 2000: Zimbabwe, Croatia, Thailand	2.52 MB
Winter 1999: Indonesia, Nigeria, Azerbaijan	3.23 MB
Fall 1999: Nigeria, Indonesia, Morocco	1.29 MB
Winter 1998: Kenya, Poland, Northern Ireland	2.26 MB
Summer 1998: Hong Kong, Ukraine, Ghana	2.01 MB
Winter 1997: Nicaragua, South Africa, Ghana	2.93 MB
Summer 1996: Russia, International Leaders Forum	2.98 MB
Spring 1996: West Bank Gaza, Bosnia, Burundi	2.4 MB
Winter 1995: West Bank Gaza, Ukraine, Malawi	3.28 MB
Fall 1995: South Africa, Russia, Yemen	2.22 MB
Summer 1995: Haiti, Peru, Malawi	2.68 MB
Spring 1994: South Africa, Mexico, Ethiopia	3.43 MB
Summer 1993: Russia, Namibia, Nicaragua	3.52 MB
Spring 1993: Cambodia, South Africa, Yemen	3.71 MB
Spring 1992: Romania, South Africa, Bolivia	1.99 MB
Winter 1991: Zambia, Poland, the Baltics	2.05 MB
Summer 1991: Zambia, Mexico, Bangladesh	1.26 MB
Spring 1991: Namibia, Russia, Senegal	1.36 MB
Winter 1990: Poland, Namibia, Bangladesh	1.33 MB
Fall 1990: Former Soviet Republics, Haiti, Bulgaria	2.07 MB
Summer 1990: Eastern Europe, Dominican Republic, Haiti	2.7 MB
Spring 1990: Hungary, Nicaragua, Panama	1.3 MB
Winter 1989: Pakistan, Argentina, Chile	1.59 MB
Fall 1988: Chile, Pakistan, Nicaragua	1.26 MB
Summer 1988: Costa Rica, Panama, Chile	1.61 MB
Spring 1988: Tunisia, Chile, Paraguay	1.28 MB
Winter 1987: Haiti, Chile, Nicaragua	1.84 MB
Fall 1987: Haiti, Uruguay, Nicaragua	1.43 MB
Spring 1987: Argentina, Philippines, Haiti	1.22 MB
Spring 1986: Philippines, Brazil, Northern Ireland	2.26 MB
Summer 1986: Chile, South Korea, Northern Ireland	2.92 MB
Winter 1986: Mondale Assumes Chairmanship, Argentina, Haiti	3.96 MB
Summer 1985: Senegal, Northern Ireland, South America	1.15 MB

NDI International Observer Delegation to the May 16 Dominican Republic Elections

vrao — Fri, 11 Oct 2002 04:00:00 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

05/18/1994

Resource Type:

Statement

Language:

English

Attachment	Size
Read the statement	312.59 KB

Preliminary Statement of NDI/Council of Freely-elected Heads of Government International Observer Delegation to the June 30, 1996 Dominican Republic Pres

vrao — Wed, 25 Sep 2002 04:00:00 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

07/01/1996

Resource Type:

Statement

Language:

English

Spanish

Attachment	Size
Read the statement	436.19 KB
Read the statement (Spanish)	472.53 KB

Dominican Republic: Report of an Observer Delegation to the 1990 Elections

vrao — Thu, 07 Mar 2002 05:00:00 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute, Council of Freely Elected Heads of Government

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

06/30/1990

Resource Type:

Report

Language:

English

Attachment	Size
Read the report	320.99 KB

NDI Pre-Election Report: The May 16, 1996 Presidential Election in the Dominican Republic

vrao — Wed, 09 Jan 2002 05:00:00 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute Council of Freely Elected Heads of Government

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

05/07/1996

Resource Type:

Report

Language:

English

Attachment	Size
Read the report	700.58 KB

Preliminary Statement of the NDI International Observer Delegation to the May 1996 Presidential Elections in the Dominican Repub

vrao — Tue, 06 Mar 2001 05:00:00 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

05/18/1996

Resource Type:

Statement

Language:

English

Attachment	Size
Read the statement	30.45 KB

Statement of NDI/The Carter Center Pre-Election Delegation to the Dominican Republic's 2000 Presidential Election

vrao — Mon, 05 Feb 2001 05:00:00 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute The Carter Center

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

04/14/2000

Resource Type:

Statement

Language:

English, Spanish

Read the press release in English here.

Spanish

Attachment	Size
Read the statement (Spanish)	40.03 KB

Preliminary Statement on the Dominican Republic Presidential Election

vrao — Mon, 05 Feb 2001 05:00:00 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute The Carter Center

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

05/18/2000

Resource Type:

Statement

Language:

English, Spanish

English

Attachment	Size
Read the statement (English)	25.17 KB
Read the statement (Spanish)	470.93 KB

Dominican Republic: Report of an Observer Delegation to the 1990 Elections

vrao — Wed, 24 Jan 2001 05:00:00 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute, Council of Freely Elected Heads of Government

Publisher:

The Carter Center

Published Date:

05/16/1990

Resource Type:

Report

Language:

English

Attachment	Size
Read the report	5.31 MB

Interim Report on the May 16, 1994 Elections in the Dominican Republic

vrao — Wed, 24 Jan 2001 05:00:00 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

08/12/1994

Resource Type:

Report

Language:

English

Attachment	Size
Read the report	3.7 MB

Future Political Leaders to Examine Challenges Facing Political Parties in the Americas

Wed, 24 Feb 1999 05:00:00 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

02/24/1999

Resource Type:

Press Release

Language:

English

Attachment	Size
Read the release	185.38 KB