This Anti-Corruption Helpdesk brief was produced in response to a query from one of Transparency International’s national chapters. The Anti-Corruption Helpdesk is operated by Transparency International and funded by the European Union.
Query
Can you describe the experience of Brazil, and maybe some other countries in the world, concerning opening up the budget’s execution (especially procurement) using online tools?
Content
1. Transparency in budget execution in practice
2. Transparency in budget execution: lessons learnt
3. References
Summary
Transparency in the execution of a budget can significantly improve efficiency, prevent fraud and corruption, and help to identify potential wrongdoing and leaks. Evidence shows that the publication of budget execution data online has proven instrumental to uncovering corruption schemes and punishing those involved. This is the case in Brazil, where the Transparency Portal enables civil society organisations, the media, public officials and citizens to monitor and verify how the budget is being executed. The portal, which required relatively low investment to be developed, contains information on government revenues and expenditures, procurement processes, and federal transfers to municipalities and states, and more. South Korea’s fiscal portal is also considered to be innovative. However, in addition to providing information on budget execution, the portal also serves as the main financial management tool in the country, making its development more complex and costly.Some countries have also opted for creating dedicated procurement platforms. This is the case in Georgia where the establishment of an e-procurement platform significantly improved public contracting in the country, making it simpler, more efficient and less prone to corruption.
Authors
Maíra Martini, Transparency International, [email protected]Reviewers
Dieter Zinnbauer, PhD, Transparency InternationalDate
31/03/2014
