TaxDev researchers participate in workshop on the role of independent fiscal policy research institutes

In November 2020, IFS researchers Christine Farquharson, David Phillips, and Yani Tyskerud participated in a collaborative virtual seminar with Oxford Policy Management (OPM), the Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa (CSEA), and the Institute for Public Finance Kenya (IPFK). The main topic of discussion was the role that independent fiscal policy research institutes play in increasing transparency and strengthening understanding of fiscal issues amongst civil society, government stakeholders, and the general public, with the aim of fostering a better understanding of government spending.

The seminar was hosted by the OPM as part of The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s investments in strengthening the “fiscal core” of policy ecosystems in developing countries. These investments include a collaboration with OPM to aid local institutions increase their capacity and proficiency for performing strategic, clear, and informative analysis of domestic country budgets and disseminating their results to inform public discourse on the economy and public finances.

IFS representatives began the event with an exploration of the history and institutional development of the IFS, its objectives and how they have changed over time.

Following this, David Hoole (OPM) led a panel discussion with James Muraguria (CEO of IPFK) and Chukka Onyekwena (Executive Director of CSEA). Muraguria and Onyekwena spoke about the strategic capabilities required to establish an independent fiscal policy research institute, in the context of Kenya and Nigeria respectively.

IFS then gave their second presentation. Christine Farquharson began by giving an overview of IFS’s pre-budget analysis, undertaken as part of its annual Green Budget. David Phillips closed the presentation by giving an insight into the history of post-budget analysis at IFS, including how IFS has developed the resources and experience over time; how to identify and engage specific audiences; and what is typically analysed in the post-budget analysis.

The seminar ended with a Q&A session where participants discussed the relevance of IFS’s experience to the work being undertaken by IPFK and CSEA in Kenya and Nigeria.