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Welcome to the Presentation of Zhidas Daskalovski, PhD

Welcome to the Presentation of Zhidas Daskalovski, PhD. Sub-national Budget Watch in Macedonia. Part One: Introduction to the Topic and Research. What is Sub-national Budget Watch?. investigating the rhetoric of public officials, matching it with the budget lines,

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Welcome to the Presentation of Zhidas Daskalovski, PhD

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  1. Welcome to the Presentation of Zhidas Daskalovski, PhD • Sub-national Budget Watch in Macedonia

  2. Part One: Introduction to the Topic and Research

  3. What is Sub-national Budget Watch? • investigating the rhetoric of public officials, • matching it with the budget lines, • understanding what the funds are spent on

  4. What is the Effect of Citizen’s Budget Watch? • identification of the weaknesses and strengths of governmental policies, • holding governments accountable • safeguards from corruption • increased trust in governments and social cohesion

  5. Who Does Budget Watch on Local Level in Macedonia? • State Audit Office • Internal Units within the Local Government • How About the Citizens? Let us See...

  6. Why Research in Shtip and Gostivar Municipalities? Similar and Different  Representative Sample • Towns with 45,000 inhabitants • Multiethnic Gostivar & Macedonian Shtip • Gostivar in the West, Shtip in the East • Shtip industrial, Gostivar trade & remittances • Ruled by different political parties

  7. Part Two: Research Findings

  8. Shtip Realities • Mayor cooperative “budget is available to the citizens, they can monitor, etc.” But! • Staff gives only a shortened version of the budget • Municipality Information Center does not have the budget but also “it could not be given without the permission of the mayor”

  9. Gostivar Realities • Old mayor bluntly refuses to give a copy of the budget claiming that we have no right to such information. • New mayor more transparent. But the staff hold to old ways! “When in MoD do you ask for secret files?” • “Make a written request, we will discuss maybe we will approve giving you a copy.”

  10. Macedonian Realities- Access to Information • 40 % of citizens asking information from state institutions obtained it but 70% of these had difficulties getting it • 27% of those asking information did not receive any answers from the state organs • 33% were refused access to the needed information with no explanation

  11. Political Culture in Macedonia • Low Accountability of Public Officials • Low Level of Citizens Participation in Policy Processes • Lack of Public Policy Evaluation and Monitoring

  12. Part Three: Recommendations

  13. Recommendations 1: Public Availability of Budget Monitoring Need for legal obligations of local government to • keep a file of the budget accessible to the public in the local government unit • organize quarterly sessions for public overview of the budget execution • disseminate info on budget execution to public, • have sufficient human resources to deal with interested citizens

  14. Recommendations 2: Influencing Budget Formation Need for legal obligations of local government to: • hold public hearings before adopting key decisions, such as the annual budget or changes of fee for local public services. • Such formulation was part of the draft law!

  15. General Recommendation: Adopt an Access to Information Law • Many of the problems with transparency in budget monitoring occurred due to the lack of freedom of information law. • The law is adopted but yet to see the results.

  16. Recommendation To the Civil Sector- Engage! • CRPM produced a Budget Watch Guide, conducts trainings • OSI Macedonia also works on Budget Monitoring • Others?

  17. Part Four: Conclusion

  18. Improved Citizen’s Budget Watch in Macedonia Will: • Supplement Government Audit and Increase Transparency • Better Public Policy & Services to Citizens • Link Public Officials and General Interests • Increase Public Trust in Politicians • Win Votes

  19. To do this We Need to: • Amend the Law on Financing the Municipalities, the Law on Self-Government, and the Law on Audit • Engage the Civil Sector Use the Freedom of Information Law • Start a Citizen Information Campaign We Start Working on the Issue Now!

  20. Comments and Questions: Zhidas Daskalovski daskalovski@crpm.org.mk Center for Research and Policy Making www.crpm.org.mk Mirche Macan bb 1000 Skopje

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