Минфин России Anna A. Belenchuk Division Chief, Budget Analysis and Transparency Budget Policy Department Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation Budget Transparency in Russia: Outcomes and Prospects for Development

М ] ф 2 Russia’s performance in the Open Budget Index measured by the International Budget Partnership The Russian Federation has kept its rating (74) unchanged since 2012, as well as its place in the second group of countries providing the public with “significant information on the budget process”. Compared to 2012, in the 2015 ranking Russia narrowed its gap with the top performers (table). Russia’s performance in the Open Budget Index, *targets as per the government targeted program Public Finance Management and Financial Market Regulation Russia’s rating relative to the top performers, underperformance in % Points shy of the top score Russia’s rating relative to the median, overperformance in % Russia’s rating relative to the median in the respective country group, overperformance in % Russia’s Relative Performance in the Ranking

М ] ф 3 Scope of Information Provided on 8 Key Budget Documents Section of Questionnaire DocumentDocument in the Russian FederationScore 1. Pre-Budget Statement (Key Fiscal Policy Areas) 1. Key Fiscal Policy Areas Executive’s Budget Proposal (draft federal budget) 2. Draft federal budget for the subsequent fiscal year and the planned period ahead (hereinafter - Budget Law) Enacted Budget3. Budget Law N/A Citizens Budget 4. Key provisions of the Budget Law presented to the public in an easy-to-understand format In-Year Reports reports5. Quarterly reports on federal budget execution Mid-Year Review 6. Explanatory note to the H1 Report on Federal Budget Execution Annual Report7. Annual Federal Budget Execution Report Audit Report 8. Opinion of the Accounts Chamber of the RF on the Federal Budget Execution Report

М ] ф 4 Public Engagement in the Budget Process IBP Public Engagement Best Practice Principles: - Put in place engagement mechanisms for the entire life cycle of the budget process; - Engage executive, legislative and supreme audit institutions; - Establish a regulatory framework enabling citizen engagement; - Announce government goals early; - Provide feedback. In 2015, the RF kept its score of 25 in the Index measured by the IBP since /100 0/100 25/100

М ] ф 5 Building a multi-dimensional framework for budget data transparency in Russia Such an approach would: Enable budget data transparency across all budget levels of the Russian FederationEnhance public engagement in the budget processLeverage new tools enabling the public to provide feedback on budget issues Budget literacy Transparency of key budget documents across all budget levels Public engagement in the budget process (participatory budgeting, community marketplace of ideas). Budget data

М ] ф 6 Citizens Budget – a Joint MOF – Open Government Project 1. Transparency  Annual publication of a Citizens Budget brochure as an attachment to the draft federal budget and Budget Law  Design of a Citizens Budget module as part of the Unified Budget Portal of the Russian Federation  Methodological guidance on the Citizens Budgets for regions and municipalities  Annual design and publication of the Report on Best Practice in Delivering the Citizens Budget in regions and municipalities 1. Transparency  Annual publication of a Citizens Budget brochure as an attachment to the draft federal budget and Budget Law  Design of a Citizens Budget module as part of the Unified Budget Portal of the Russian Federation  Methodological guidance on the Citizens Budgets for regions and municipalities  Annual design and publication of the Report on Best Practice in Delivering the Citizens Budget in regions and municipalities 3. Budget literacy  MOF-World Bank joint project on Budget Literacy in Russia: implementation support 3. Budget literacy  MOF-World Bank joint project on Budget Literacy in Russia: implementation support 2. Public engagement  Promotion of participatory budgeting across the regions in the Russian Federation  Marketplace of community ideas to provide user-friendly budget data 2. Public engagement  Promotion of participatory budgeting across the regions in the Russian Federation  Marketplace of community ideas to provide user-friendly budget data

М ] ф 7 Annual Publication of Citizens Budget (Resumed in 2012) Citizens Budget in Russia—benefits: Substance captures all IBP recommendations (including information on the budget process, spending across sectors and programs, etc.); Ample use of visuals and infographics; Posted on the Internet as a supplement to the draft budget and Budget Law; A more detailed version is attached to the annual report on budget execution. Scope for improvement as per IBP recommendations: -Public feedback channels; -A wider audience (TV, radio, etc.); -Citizens Budget is not presented as a supplement to the Accounts Chamber‘s (Supreme Audit Institution) Opinion on the draft budget law and its execution.

М ] ф 8 Improving the Coverage of the Citizens Budget—Target Groups I. SOCIAL GROUPS II. COMMERCIAL AND NON- PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS III. PUBLIC/MUNICIPAL SECTOR HIGH PROFILE EVENTS Citizens eligible for budget support depending on their social status Non-state/non-municipal organizations and enterprises eligible for budget support Social support and payroll measures inter-governmental transfers VETERANS SMALL AND MEDIUM BUSINESSES PUBLIC AND MUNICIPAL CIVIL SERVANTS WORLD INDIVIDUALS HOLDING GOVERNMENT AWARDS LARGE BUSINESSES PUBLIC AND MUNICIPAL SECTOR EMPLOYEES COUNTRY THE DISABLED INDIVIDUAL ENTREPRENEURS/SELF- EMPLOYED STAFF OF RUSSIAN OVERSEAS GOVERNMENT OFFICES POLITICS FAMILIES AND CHILDRENNON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS STATE-OWNED CORPORATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS WITH PUBLIC AND MUNICIPAL INTEREST ECONOMY UNEMPLOYEDFOREIGN ORGANIZATIONSREGIONAL AND LOCAL BUDGETSCULTURE VICTIMS OF EMERGENCY SITUATIONS STATE EXTRABUDGETARY FUNDSSCIENCE PENSIONERSSPORT STUDENTS THOSE IN NEED OF SOCIAL SUPPORT THOSE IN NEED OF HEALTH CARE SERVICES

М ] ф 9 Improving the Coverage of the Citizens Budget– Socially Important (High Profile) Events CATEGORY EXAMPLES OF SOCIALLY IMPORTANT (HIGH PROFILE) EVENTS 1. WorldBRICS, contributions to international institutions 2. Country70 th anniversary of the victory, fire in Khakassia 3. PoliticsElections 4. Economy МАКS, InfoCom, bridge to Crimea, Special Economic Zones, Baikal-Amur Railway, Trans- Siberian Railway, Central Ring Road 5. CultureReconstruction of the Bolshoi Theater 6. ScienceCollider, Skolkovo 7. SportsOlympics, World Soccer Cup Citizens Budget: Eligibility Criteria Budget expenditures (at least Rub 10 billion) National importance (relevant to several regions/territories of Russia) Project approach to an event (one-time events) Relevant to several target groups Includes several programs

М ] ф 10 Citizens Budget Module as part of the Unified Budget Portal of the Russian Federation [currently being designed by MOF of Russia] Module Objective: Provide easy real-time access to budget information adapted to users’ needs. Functions: Educational (a database of best international budget practices) Informative (reference materials, international benchmarking) Explanatory (an easy-to- understand glossary, list of social services provided to a given target group) Options for feedback and data compilation by user demand

М ] ф 11 Citizens Budget: Methodology Methodological guidelines for presenting easy-to-understand regional and local budgets in the Russian Federation and reports on budget execution Joint executive order of MOF, MOED and Ministry of Regional Development of Russia of August 22, 2013 № 86н/357/468 The definition of Citizens Budgets is widened to mean easy-to-understand information on the budget. Principles for designing Citizens Budgets are defined. Information on budget expenditures should be Relevant to target groups Relevant to socially important projects. Estimates of “revenue shortfalls” from tax and non-tax expenditures should be presented. Information on community-driven participatory budget should be included. A new document designed in pursuance of the 2012 President’s Budget Address stressing the importance of publishing Citizens Budgets every year across all budget levels. Citizens Budgets were delivered as presentations and brochures, information resources (portals) or sections thereof. Regions and municipalities were advised to benchmark their results against other municipalities MOF Executive Order № 145н of September 22, 2015 (new methodology)

М ] ф 12 Citizens Budget: Review of Preparation and Publication Across the Regions and Municipalities of the Russian Federation Overall review of information presented by the regions of the Russian Federation on the budget and the budget system in 2015 [carried out by MOF since 2013 ]

М ] ф Examples of best approaches to visualizing Citizens Budgets designed in the Russian regions Krasnoyarsk Krai 13 Krasnodar Krai Astrakhan Oblast Omsk Oblast Kostroma Oblast

М ] ф 14 Russian Regional Budget Transparency Rating The first Russian regional budget transparency rating was compiled in 2013 by the Center for Applied Economics, an independent outfit. Since 2015, the MOF Research Institute in conjunction with the Center for Applied Economics, have been publishing the Russian regional rating using a specially designed evaluation method (92 questions in the questionnaire). Top Performers in the Russian Regional Budget Transparency Rating RegionRanking Total score (maximum =210) Krasnodar Krai1185,0 Orenburg Oblast2184,0 Omsk Oblast3182,5 Krasnoyarsk Krai4178,0 Murmansk Oblast5164,0 Republic of Adygea6162,0 Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Region –Yugra7157,5 2015

М ] ф 15 Public Engagement in the Budget Process at the Local Level Participatory budgeting — a set of tools to engage citizens in the budget process enabling them to define and select types of expenditures and carry out post-implementation project control. Sources of FinancingStavropol KraiKirov OblastTver OblastNizhniy Novgorod Oblast Khabarovsk Krai Regional budget 39,6169,695,9150,046,4 Local co-financing, o/w : 11,996,178,2142,932,9 Community contributions 1,234,917,233,310,6 Municipal budget 7,643,045,186,911,2 Contributions from local businesses and other sources 3,118,215,922,811,2 Total 51,5265,7174,2292,979,3 The foundations of participatory budgeting in Russia were laid down in the World Bank-supported LISP project implemented across the Russian regions since Volume of raised extrabudgetary resources in 2015, Rub in millions

М ] ф 16 LISP across Russian regions Stavropol Krai – since 2007 Kirov Oblast – since 2009 Tver Oblast - since 2012 Nizhny Novgorod oblast – since 2013 Khabarovsk Krai – since 2013 Republic of North Ossetia – Alania – since 2015 Republic of Bashkortostan – since 2014 About 2,000 projects implemented between 2007 and 2014 o More than 500 projects every year o More than 1.2 million beneficiaries annually LISP seeks to promote participatory budgeting across Russian regions. Through LISP, regional budget resources are complimented by local sources – community budgets, citizens, and local businesses. The average share of community co-financing is 10%. Local Initiatives Support Program (World Bank) LISP implementation effects: Improved community satisfaction with social service delivery. Easing community dependency and promoting closer involvement in local development, building mutual trust between communities and local self-governments. Effective budget solutions: projects selected and financed by local communities prove to be more cost-effective than those financed without local community participation.

М ] ф 17 Improved Budget Literacy of the Public To elicit citizens’ interest in public finance and budget policy, there must be a demand for budget data.

М ] ф 18 Budget Literacy in Russia’s Secondary Schools Business Games – Lessons – Case Studies – Roundtables – Discussions – Success Stories – Student Presentations – Problem Essays – Competitions – Distance Learning 1 st condition: Elicit student interest Knowledge of public budgets and skills to inform managerial decisions on the budget process are needed to improve the lives of individuals, communities, and society at large. The government ensures budget transparency and openness which enables citizens to engage in the decision-making process. Information must be properly used, which requires obtaining relevant knowledge and skills. 2 nd condition: Build strong life and citizenship skills Talks, discussions, roundtables, business games, small cases focusing on the most relevant and compelling issues, such as education, health care, fitness, sports, and culture. Learning about Local Initiatives Support Program (LISP) 3 rd condition: Combine theory with practical skills Teaching modules to be integrated in the Citizenship and Economics curricula. The Economics module will focus on technical aspects of the budget. The Citizenship module, with a focus on budget literacy as a tool to foster active citizenship and participatory budgeting, will be integrated in the standard Budget Literacy curriculum. 4 th condition: Students must be given an option to select the level of complexity of the Budget Literacy course The designed course must offer several levels of training building on students’ core knowledge. The use of e-teaching methods, including distance learning.

М ] ф Thank you! 19