South Asia

Citation:

Reddy, Suguna. 2011. “Women’s Empowerment Through Gender Budgeting: A Review in Indian Context.” Asia Pacific Journal of Social Sciences 3 (1): 210-24.

Author: Suguna Reddy

Abstract:

Gender Budgeting is now recognized as a tool for empowering women. Budget impacts women’s lives in several ways. It directly promotes women’s development through allocation of budgetary funds for women’s development programmes and reduces opportunities for empowerment of women through budgetary cuts. The Budget is an important tool in the hands of state for affirmative action for improvement of gender relations through reduction of gender gap in the development process. It can help to reduce economic inequalities, between men and women as well as between the rich and the poor. (NCAS, 2003). Hence, the budgetary policies need to keep into considerations the gender dynamics operating in the economy and in the civil society. There is a need to highlight participatory approaches to pro-poor budgeting, green budgeting, local and global implications of pro-poor and pro-women budgeting, alternative macro scenarios emerging out of alternative budgets and inter-linkages between gender-sensitive budgeting and women’ s empowerment. Serious examining of budgets calls for greater transparency at the level of international economics to local process of empowerment. With this background, the paper mainly focuses on the empowerment of women through Gender Budgeting.

Topics: Civil Society, Development, Economies, Economic Inequality, Poverty, Gender, Gender Budgeting Regions: Asia, South Asia Countries: India

Year: 2011

Citation:

Pandey, Divya, Aruna Kanchi, and K. K. Akolkar. 2004. “Gender Audit of Maharashtra Budget: An Illustration of Current Methodology.” Economic and Political Weekly 39 (44): 4792-802.

Authors: Divya Pandey, Aruna Kanchi, K. K. Akolkar

Abstract:

This study attempts to identify women-related expenditure in the Maharashtra budget, in order to estimate the share of budgetary resources actually provided for women vis-à-vis policy pronouncements, the purposes of such allocation, and the utilisation of funds.  It shows that despite the professed concern for women in the state, especially in relation to the declining sex ratio, the allocation continues to be minuscule.  However, merely increasing the provision of funds does not automatically lead to the establishment of gender equality or empowerment of women.  Policies for women must take cognisance of their needs, problems and choices, and incorporate them in the design of programmes.

Topics: Gender, Gender Budgeting, Gender Mainstreaming, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Equality/Inequality Regions: Asia, South Asia Countries: India

Year: 2004

Citation:

Elson, Diane. 1998. "Integrating Gender Issues into National Budgetary Policies and Procedures: Some Policy Options." Journal of International Development 10 (7): 929-41.

Author: Diane Elson

Abstract:

The national budget generally has different implications for women and men, but it is put together without consideration of gender equality. Tools are being developed to integrate gender analysis into appraisal of delivery of public services, composition of expenditure and revenue, and overall budget strategy. A gender-aware budget statement can indicate the extent to which the budget is gender-balanced, and be used to monitor resource allocations and outcomes. The Commonwealth Secretariat is facilitating a pilot project to explore the practical use of some of these tools in preparation and presentation of the budget in South Africa, Sri Lanka and Barbados.

Topics: Gender, Gender Analysis, Gender Budgeting, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Equality/Inequality Regions: Africa, Southern Africa, Americas, Caribbean countries, Asia, South Asia Countries: Barbados, South Africa, Sri Lanka

Year: 1998

Citation:

United Nations Development Fund for Women. 2010. Gender Responsive Budgeting and Aid Effectiveness Knowledge Briefs. New York: The United Nations Development Fund for Women.

Author: United Nations Development Fund for Women

Abstract:

This series of knowledge briefs available in English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese has been produced on the basis of research carried out under the European Commission-supported programme ‘Integrating Gender Responsive Budgeting into the Aid Effectiveness Agenda’. 

The research, which was carried out in ten countries (Cameroon, Ethiopia, India, Morocco, Nepal, Mozambique, Peru, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda) investigated how gender responsive budgeting (GRB) tools and strategies had been used in the context of aid modalities, such as general budget support (GBS) and sector budget support (SBS).

The research aimed to increase national partners’ and European Union decision-makers’ understanding of the opportunities for using GRB to ensure that aid contributes to the achievement of gender equality goals. The knowledge briefs aim to provide guidance on using GRB tools to integrate a gender dimension into new modalities of aid financing, so that these support the implementation of governments’ gender equality commitments. The target audiences are programmers and policy makers working for national governments, the European Commission, and bilateral donors.

The series consists of 5 separate briefs:

·Introduction to Gender Responsive Budgeting and Aid Effectivenes

· Guidance sheet on ‘How can aid be gender responsive in the context of the new aid modalities? Lessons from gender responsive budgeting initiatives’

· Brief on ‘How do donors collectively address gender issues in their aid management practices at country level?’

· Brief on ‘How do Individual donors address gender Issues in their policy, programming, and financing?’

· Summaries of country reports

Topics: Gender, Gender Budgeting Regions: Africa, MENA, Central Africa, East Africa, North Africa, Southern Africa, Americas, South America, Asia, South Asia Countries: Cameroon, Ethiopia, India, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal, Peru, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda

Year: 2010

Citation:

Goetz, Anne Marie, and Robert Jenkins. 1999. "Accountability to Women in Development & Spending: Experiments in Service-Delivery Audits at the Local Level." Paper presented at the UNDP Conference on Gender, Poverty and Environment-Sensitive Budget Analysis, New York.

Authors: Anne Marie Goetz, Robert Jenkins

Abstract:

What matters to consumers of public services is local-level accountability. Local monitoring and auditing is the only way to ensure commitments on paper at the local and national level - particularly in areas of concern to women - are translated into practice. This paper shows how groups in India hold governments accountable for their spending and the delivery of public services. Gender-sensitive analysis and monitoring of this spending at the local level can give women the tools to campaign and lobby directly for money that should go to them and their families. Citizens can participate in monitoring spending in two key areas: decentralised local government budgets and large development programmes. These are the areas in which women and the poor most closely engage with public sector spending programmes. In India, some village assemblies have gained the power to examine annual budget statements and to audit reports. However, many challenges are still faced and women are often sidelined with the local administration, local politicians and many male citizens colluding in order to divert funds intended for women's benefit.

In Kerala details of workers and their wages plus costs of materials must be posted at the site of all public works. Noticeboards are installed at the headquarters of every ward with information about panchayat (local government institutions) spending. This new transparency revealed that women were being illegally paid less than men. Women are also given the job of monitoring those who are on the local "Below Poverty Line" lists for resource allocation in anti-poverty programmes. In Rajasthan, the MKSS (Mazdoor Kisan Shakthi Sangathan - the Workers' and Farmers' Power Association) made up of 60 per cent women, played a key role in the introduction of the Right to Information legislation in 2000. MKSS also instituted a public hearing method where accounts are read aloud to assembled villagers who are able to testify on the differences between budget and actual expenditure, exposing corruption.

Further findings from this paper include:

·         Local-level analysis and activity make it easier to identify the impact of spending patterns, to understand the use of resources at local government level, and to pick up on corruption and mis-spending of funds.

·         Elites who may have control over resources at local government level, can be more firmly patriarchal than at the national level.

·         The differences in men's and women's work and time use have implications for their ability to participate in monitoring activities.

·         Social norms dictate the extent to which women can claim allocations and speak out against corruption.

·         Despite the work in Kerala and good conditions for effective engagement of women in budgeting and auditing, local spending priorities have not been redefined from a gender perspective.

·         Effective citizen monitoring requires considerable resources, including finances to build technical skills for monitoring and auditing, and to build basic literacy.

Key recommendations made by the paper include the need for:

·         The institutionalisation of the rights of service users to set priorities and monitor spending through legislation which ensures public access to information.

·         Methods such as public hearings and "translation" of official information to suit the needs of those who are illiterate are needed to ensure that these rights are realised.

·         Revenue to provide for women's participation in auditing.

·         Technical training including collection and collation of information, verification of local accounts and skills needed to undertake consultations with beneficiaries as to whether spending plans adequately meet their needs.

·         An understanding of women's varied roles and how they constrain women's participation in auditing processes.

·         Ensuring that women are not sidelined in local assemblies, where elites continue to divert funds intended for women's use to other areas.

·         Capacity-building among civil society institutions, which is essential to encourage women to stand up in public hearings and to demand accountability. 

Topics: Economies, Poverty, Gender, Gender Budgeting Regions: Asia, South Asia Countries: India

Year: 1999

Citation:

Budlender, Debbie. 2009. Ten-Country Overview Report: Integrating Gender Responsive Budgeting into the Aid Effectiveness Agenda. New York: The United Nations Development Fund for Women.

Author: Debbie Budlender

Abstract:

The following research reports (1 composite report and 10 country reports) have been generated as part of the UNIFEM programme,  "Integrating gender responsive budgeting into the aid effectiveness agenda”. The three-year programme funded by the European Commission (EC) was launched in 2008 and consists of research and programmatic technical assistance.

The programme seeks to demonstrate how gender responsive budgeting (GRB) tools and strategies contribute to enhancing a positive impact on gender equality of aid provided in the form of General Budget Support (GBS).

The first aspect of the programme involved research in ten developing countries to deepen the understanding of national partners and European Union (EU) decision makers of the opportunities for using GRB to enhance accountability to gender equality in the context of the aid effectiveness agenda. Concerned countries were Ethiopia, Peru, Tanzania, Uganda, Morocco, Nepal, India, Rwanda, Mozambique and Cameroon.

The second aspect of the programme will involve the selection of five countries in which targeted and tailored technical support will be provided in 2009 and 2010 to improve country capacity to further institutionalise GRB. (Abstract from UN Women)

Topics: Gender, Gender Budgeting Regions: Africa, MENA, Central Africa, East Africa, North Africa, Southern Africa, Americas, South America, Asia, South Asia Countries: Cameroon, Ethiopia, India, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal, Peru, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda

Year: 2009

Citation:

Banerjee, Nirmala, and Maithreyi Krishnaraj. 2004. “Sieving Budgets for Gender.” Economic and Political Weekly 39 (44): 4788-91.

Authors: Nirmala Banerjee, Maithreyi Krishnaraj

Abstract:

Gender budgeting exercises attempt to assess how far prevailing gender-based biases are incorporated into budgetary exercises. Such analyses also provide women with vital information regarding the contents and focus of existing government policies. The aim is to promote greater transparency and enhance democracy. After the late 1990s, when gender budgeting exercises were first set in motion, such exercises have quickly come into vogue and many scholars have undertaken them. This period has also been marked by shifts in economic policies, especially in developing countries. Reforms in the name of development that have had a pernicious effect on women have been implemented. Recent studies in India have looked at the many well-intentioned public schemes that have failed to achieve significant results. The set of papers included in this review illustrates the progress made so far. While there is still need for crucial interaction between analysis and the structures of gender that currently exist in society as well as with the elements necessary for transforming gender relations, these efforts, as presented here, are a step towards opening a meaningful dialogue with policy-makers to make them appreciate exactly what it is that women want and in what form. 

Topics: Economies, Gender, Gender Budgeting Regions: Asia, South Asia Countries: India

Year: 2004

Citation:

Bakker, Isabella. 2002. Fiscal Policy, Accountability and Voice: The Example of Gender Responsive Budget Initiatives. New York: UNDP. 

Author: Isabella Bakker

Abstract:

The central argument of this chapter is that participatory budgeting and analysis - whether it is pro-poor, environment-sensitive or gender responsive - offers a new potentially innovative means for ensuring government accountability to international and national commitments as well as a more balanced distribution of public resources.

With this argument in mind, the chapter begins with a consideration of the relationship of accountability to fiscal policy. Accountability is explored in terms of its legal, institutional and market dimensions. This is followed by an analysis of budgets and accountability as they relate to four aspects that are of importance. These are: a. comprehensiveness; b. institutional responsiveness; c. transparency; and, d. credibility of commitments. Our next section outlines some justifications for one form of applied participatory budgeting-gender responsive budgeting. This is a preamble to explaining what gender responsive budgets are, and how such budgets relate to the four aspects of accountability sketched earlier. Our elements of accountability are then related to cases that might contribute to an inventory of best practice. These examples are drawn from a variety of countries such as India, Mauritius, Tanzania and Mexico. Also important are initiatives taken by multilateral institutions such as the Commonwealth Secretariat and entities within the UN system such as UNIFEM. The chapter ends with conclusions about lessons learned from these gender budget initiatives, how they might be applied to other participatory exercises and points to next steps. 

Topics: Economies, Poverty, Gender, Gender Budgeting Regions: Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, Americas, North America, Asia, South Asia Countries: India, Mauritius, Mexico, Tanzania

Year: 2002

Citation:

Shandra, John M., Carrie L. Shandra, and Bruce London. 2008. “Women, Non-Governmental Organizations, and Deforestation: A Cross-National Study.” Population and Environment 30 (1-2): 48–72.

Authors: John M. Shandra, Carrie L. Shandra, Bruce London

Abstract:

There have been several cross-national studies published in the world polity theoretical tradition that find a strong correlation between nations with high levels of environmental nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and low levels of various forms of environmental degradation. However, these studies neglect the role that women’s NGOs potentially play in this process. We seek to address this gap by conducting a cross-national study of the association between women’s NGOs and deforestation. We examine this relationship because deforestation often translates into increased household labor, loss of income, and impaired health for women and, as a result, women’s non-governmental organizations have become increasingly involved in dealing with these problems often by protecting forests. We use data from a sample of 61 nations for the period of 1990–2005. We find substantial support for world polity theory that both high levels of women’s and environmental NGOs per capita are associated with lower rates of deforestation. We also find that high levels of debt service and structural adjustment are correlated with higher rates of forest loss. We conclude with a discussion of findings, policy implications, and possible future research directions.

Keywords: deforestation, women, non-governmental organizations, cross-national

Topics: Economies, Environment, Extractive Industries, Gender, Women, NGOs Regions: Africa, MENA, Central Africa, East Africa, North Africa, Southern Africa, West Africa, Americas, Caribbean countries, Central America, North America, South America, Asia, East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Europe, Baltic states, Balkans, Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Oceania Countries: Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Hungary, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad & Tobago, Uganda, Uruguay, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Year: 2008

Citation:

Ghose, Mrinal K. 2007. “A Perspective on Community and State Interests in Small-Scale Mining in India Including the Role of Women.” Environment, Development and Sustainability 10 (6): 857–69.

Author: Mrinal K. Ghose

Abstract:

To achieve 8% growth of the Indian economy, the industrial sector must grow at 10% rate. The vision statements of various core sectors of the country show that the mining sector will have to expand greatly. India is among the top ten mineral producing nations in the world and the Indian mining industry indicates almost the full range of extractive mineral products. Small-scale mining is quite prevalent in India. Such mines constitute about 90% of total number of mines, 42% of the total non-fuel minerals and metals, 5% of the fuel minerals. Some 3,000 small-scale mines account for a work force of about 0.5 million people. Yet this sector is a neglected sector in Indian economy and still considered as an unorganized sector. This article examines the community and state interests in small-scale mining and the contribution of small-scale mines to employment, national mineral production, practices, and Indian policy on small-scale mining. It identifies drawbacks in the existing Government policy and discusses a possible role for the Government to upgrade the sector. This paper highlights the impacts of mining on women community, the socioeconomic characteristics of women as miners and on the productive roles that women play in mining. It also discusses how the pursuit of sustainable livelihoods, poverty alleviation, indigenous peoples right and gender equity in artesianal and small-scale mining be more effective when these communities are disadvantaged or neglected by government policies. The respective roles of the indigenous people and migrant workers in the social organization of ASM sectors in different parts of the country are discussed.

Topics: Development, Economies, Economic Inequality, Poverty, Extractive Industries, Gender, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Equity, Indigenous, Livelihoods, Rights, Human Rights, Indigenous Rights, Women's Rights Regions: Asia, South Asia Countries: India

Year: 2007