This document discusses budget transparency and the Open Budget Index. It provides information on:
- Why budget transparency and accountability are important, such as for fiscal discipline and identifying spending leakages.
- How the Open Budget Index is calculated, through surveys of over 100 countries that evaluate public access to budget documents and oversight opportunities.
- The key budget documents that are assessed, such as pre-budget statements, enacted budgets, and audit reports.
- How scores on the index are assigned and interpreted, with higher scores indicating more extensive information provided to citizens.
- Trends from the last 6 years of Open Budget Index surveys showing some countries improving transparency significantly.