Open Budget Index 2008 Released

On 1 February 2009 the International Budget Partnership released the Open Budget Index 2008, the only independent, comparative measure of government budget transparency in 85 countries around the world. For the first time, data is now available on how open and accountable such countries as China, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, and Democratic Republic of Congo are to their publics.

Eighty percent of the world’s governments fail to provide adequate information for the public to hold them accountable for managing their money, according to the report.

To see the OBI 2008 results visit www.openbudgetindex.org.

Download the Press Release.

Coinciding with the launch, the Revenue Watch Institute (RWI) has written a brief analysing the Open Budget Index and says the data in the IBP’s report confirms a direct connection between the poor performance of resource-dependent countries and the lack of budget transparency and accountability in the 22 countries considered significant oil and gas producers.

Read the RWI briefing here.