15 May - GDP down by 3.8% and employment down by 0.2% in the euro area
19 May - China,USand EU are the largesteconomies in theworld
20 May - Annual inflation down to 0.3%in the euro area
Извор: Еуростат – 05.2020
A time of crisis demands transparency and accountability
Miranda Stewart, Teck Chi Wong
At a time when the world is hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and governments rush to launch unprecedented fiscal measures to address the crisis and rescue the economy, the open budget agenda is more crucial than ever, Miranda Stewart and Teck Chi Wong write.
The release of the latest Open Budget Survey 2019 points to weak transparency and oversight of government spending around the world.
With the COVID-19 wreaking havoc, budget transparency may be low on the list of concerns for governments and the public. But the timely release of budget documents, explanation of the true state of government finances and support for public debate about budget priorities is of critical importance in times of emergency. As governments respond to urgent health and economic needs with more expenditure today, to be funded by taxes and debt in future budget cycles, open and credible budgeting is essential.
Decisions made to ensure that Scotland recovers from Covid-19 must be human rights-based, a new report has recommended
A call has been made call for human rights to be at the heart of post-Covid budget decisions, to ensure social and economic recovery in Scotland
Scottish Government budget-setting and spending decisions following the coronavirus pandemic must take full account of people’s human rights, according to the Scottish Human Rights Commission (the Commission) and the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE).
A new report from the Commission compares the openness of Scotland’s budgetary processes with 117 countries involved in the International Budget Partnership’s (IBP) latest Open Budget Survey (OBS). The report has been compiled with the support of the ALLIANCE, the University of Glasgow, Glasgow Caledonian University and the New York-based Center for Economic and Social Rights.
This is a moment of peak uncertainty for governments, civil society and citizens. Facing a unique challenge from the coronavirus, new policies and approaches are being tested in real-time. Many in the open government community are deeply involved in their country’s response and recovery.
This guide is a one stop shop for the best current resources on how open government projects and approaches can support tackling the pandemic. It draws on over 350 crowdsourced examples from the open government community and amplifies the work of OGP’s wide range of thematic partners, many of whom have directly contributed their expertise to the guide. The guide is for open government reformers who are looking for practical ideas, tools and resources that can be adapted to their particular context.
The COVID-19 pandemic is inflicting high and rising human costs worldwide, and the necessary protection measures are severely impacting economic activity. As a result of the pandemic, the global economy is projected to contract sharply by –3 percent in 2020, much worse than during the 2008–09 financial crisis. In a baseline scenario--which assumes that the pandemic fades in the second half of 2020 and containment efforts can be gradually unwound—the global economy is projected to grow by 5.8 percent in 2021 as economic activity normalizes, helped by policy support. The risks for even more severe outcomes, however, are substantial. Effective policies are essential to forestall the possibility of worse outcomes, and the necessary measures to reduce contagion and protect lives are an important investment in long-term human and economic health. Because the economic fallout is acute in specific sectors, policymakers will need to implement substantial targeted fiscal, monetary, and financial market measures to support affected households and businesses domestically. And internationally, strong multilateral cooperation is essential to overcome the effects of the pandemic, including to help financially constrained countries facing twin health and funding shocks, and for channeling aid to countries with weak health care systems.
https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/Issues/2020/04/14/weo-april-2020
Извор: ММФ – 04.2020
