Publication: A New Data Tool to BOOST Public Spending Efficiency
Date
2011-09
ISSN
Published
2011-09
Author(s)
Abstract
The BOOST data tool makes it easy to
analyze how the allocation and use of public expenditure can
be made more efficient. BOOST makes detailed public spending
data, including data on sub-national spending, more open and
accessible than ever before. The global financial crisis has
prompted many governments to seek efficiency savings in
order to reduce budget deficits and restore medium-term
structural balance without harming long-term growth
prospects or service quality. To reap savings from
inefficiencies, governments must be able to identify such
inefficiencies and examine their root causes. One way of
doing so is through analytical work that sheds light on
where in the budget more can be done with less the process
starts by gathering detailed government expenditure data
directly from a country's treasury system. By
requesting raw data at the most disaggregated level
available, the resulting BOOST database takes advantage of
the full breadth and depth of the country's budget
classification system. The data on expenditures, organized
using all of the country's budget classification codes,
is then compiled in one database that covers all sectors,
all spending units, and all types of expenditures recorded
in the treasury system. Obtaining more detailed data than
what is commonly available to researchers and making it
readily available in an easy-to-use format will facilitate
the work of many different actors within and outside the
World Bank. Any opportunity to conduct more insightful
analytical work improves the quality of advice provided to policymakers.
Citation
“Kheyfets, Igor; Mastruzzi, Massimo; Merotto, Dino; Sondergaard, Lars. 2011. A New Data Tool to BOOST Public Spending Efficiency. Europe and Central Asia Knowledge Brief; Issue No. 43. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/publication/36707a6e-25d1-5af4-8dcc-907962a8a7ee License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”