Georgia’s next success – According to the results of the Open Budget Survey (2021) published by the International Budget Partnership, Georgia took first place among 120 countries in the world.
It should be noted that according to the last two estimates of the Budget Transparency Survey – in 2017 and 2019, Georgia ranked 5th among 117 countries in the group of fully transparent countries.
With this indicator of 2021, the ongoing public financial management reform in Georgia has once again gained international recognition and confirmed the results of the measures taken over the last decade.
Georgia’s success in 2021 is a result of measures taken in the framework of public financial management reform, including the improvement of medium-term planning, the introduction of program budgets, the increase of comprehensive reporting, the introduction and improvement of electronic public financial management systems, Publication and publicity of budget documents, preparation of citizen guides, development of citizen involvement mechanisms, etc. This research and the establishment of an open budget index are carried out every two years by the organization of the International Budget Partnership.
It should be noted that the study provides the same methodology for assessing the budget transparency of all countries in the world. The average score is calculated for each country, as well as worldwide, which allows countries to assess their progress, both in relation to other countries and the global average, as well as to see the dynamics of development compared to previous studies.
It is important to note that the government does not conduct the survey through self-assessment, and the questionnaire is completed by independently selected NGOs for this purpose. Consequently, the results depend on the information provided by the country’s civil society and independent experts.
The study will examine the government’s public financial management system:
- Budget transparency;
- Involvement of parties in the budget process;
- Overseeing budget management.
The survey was first published in 2006, and Georgia ranked only 30th with 34 points (updated methodology) and only among the least transparent countries. In the results of further studies, the scores and positions were gradually improved, and Georgia was among the countries with limited transparency in the 2008, 2010 and 2012 surveys.
According to the 2015 survey, the country moved to the rank of significantly more transparent countries for the first time and with 66 points, ranked 16th among 109 countries in the world, and in 2017 and 2019, ranked 5th in the group of fully transparent countries.
Georgia continues to work with partners to improve reporting quality, develop citizen engagement mechanisms, and work with all stakeholders.
