Dr Angela O’Hagan Women in Scotland’s Economy Research Centre Gender budgeting as feminist policy change. Words or deeds?

How feminist and how much change? What makes for feminist policy change? Where are the favourable conditions stronger/need to be built? What political opportunities are there for us to advance gender budgeting? –What lessons? –Are they lessons for civil society or lessons for government? –Who and how to learn? –Actual policy change or discursive shift?

Engaged Actors and Institutional Arrangements Scottish Government/Parliament Politicians/Officials Feminist and Civil Society Organisations Feminist Academics page 3

Factors of feminist policy change  Political Opportunity Structures and political change  Active and engaged feminist organisations  Openness of government structures  Effective gender equality architecture/women’s policy agencies  External influences  Policy learning and diffusion through transnational networking  Constellation of engaged actors  Access to strategic actors in key policy venues  Favourable economic conditions  Time and temporal dimensions  Critical framing of feminist policy change arguments and demands

Gender budgeting as feminist policy change Improvement of women’s rights, status or situation relevant to men’s Reduction of gender-based hierarchies Avoids distinction between public and private spheres Focuses on women and men Can be identified with recognised feminist movements (Mazur, 2002). “gender status” policies - remedy disadvantage and discrimination against women as women “class-based” policies - target the unequal distribution of resources and sexual division of labour (Htun and Weldon, 2010)

Favourable ConditionScotlandEnglandWales Northern Ireland IrelandUK Pro-equality climate Responsiveness/receptivenes s to external influences Political change/opportunities Women’s Policy Agency Positive approach to governance Engaged women’s organisations Understanding of budgetary processes Engaged actors Political will and leadership Clear conceptual framework Positive institutional arrangements Strategy for continuity Gender-aware budget -Gender mainstreaming in policy analysis -Gender analysis in government processes -Gender aware budget documentation

Framing Gender Budgeting Government Frames Sustainable and inclusive economic growth Reducing inequality Economic effectiveness and performance Equality Frames Gender equality central to social and economic change Transformative or compliance with external drivers? Gender Budget Frames Transparency Accountability Governance

Framing gender equality in the Scottish Budget Government Economic Strategy National Performance Framework Public Sector Equalities Duties

Discursive shift to policy outcomes…? “Following on from the discussions with the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth, EBAG has engaged with the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser to discuss some of the underpinning issues around equality and the economy. In particular the discussion focused on issues relating to women’s role and participation in the labour market, the formal and informal economy and the challenge of measurement and economic modelling for this.” (Equality Statement Scottish Budget 2011/12, Pg 9) Identifying policy actors

Discursive shift to policy outcomes “The framework of economic analysis informing future spending plans should incorporate equality considerations, thus embedding equality within the mainstream budgetary process… with a view to the Scottish Government applying equality impact analysis to the framework of economic modelling employed in determining the relevant range of the economic forecasts that in turn inform its future economic strategy.” (Equal Opportunities Committee Report on the Draft Budget , Jan 2011) Parliamentary engagement

While we are clear that the package of work over the year and individual sets of analysis did influence decision making, there were challenges in presenting the full range of work undertaken across Government centrally…. and locally….in the Equality Statement. We agree that we need to explore further with the Equality and Budgets Advisory Group how we can improve the future presentation and narration of this work. (Scottish Government Response to Equal Opportunities Committee Report on the Draft Budget , Jan 2011) Dialogue in decision-making Discursive shift to policy outcomes…?

“We recognise that equality is an important driver of growth and that inequality detracts from our economic performance and our social wellbeing. We make clear in our Economic Strategy, the importance of increasing participation in the labour market, removing the structural and long standing barriers which limit opportunities and harnessing diversity and wealth of talent we have available to us as a nation”. (Equality Statement on Scottish Spending Review 2011 and Draft Budget , p.10) “tackling the root causes of inequality” “… flagged the current pressures on women’s employment and the limitations of economic models”. (Equality Statement Scottish Draft Budget , p.6) Frame alignment

Scotland: Westminster divide Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth “More than an important legal duty, the Scottish Government regards equality assessment and analysis of the budget as a key aspect of our improvement agenda. In this climate, action to assess the equality implications of spending proposals is essential” (Equality Budget Statement , Scottish Government 2013 John Swinney MSP) UK Prime Minister “Equality impact assessments are “bureaucratic nonsense” “We have smart people in Whitehall who consider equalities issues while they’re making the policy. We don’t need all this extra tick-box stuff. So I can tell you today we are calling time on Equality Impact Assessments. You no longer have to do them if these issues have been properly considered. That way policy-makers are free to use their judgement and do the right thing to meet the equalities duty rather than wasting their own time and taxpayers’ money” (David Cameron, UK Prime Minister Speech to CBI Conference 2012).

Equality Budget Statement “We have an ambition for an equal and just Scotland. That is why we maintain our strong commitment to equality across all that we do; why equality is at the heart of our transformational approach to public service reform and integral to our economic recovery; and why we continue to invest in work on equality, the third sector and communities” John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Foreword to EBS No equivalent statement in

Draft Budget

Equality Outcomes By 2017 to have developed a more holistic economic framework that reflects the position and contribution (paid and unpaid) of women to the economy. Reflect the progress with regard to the economic framework and modelling in the Equality Budget Statement(s) and Government Economic Strategy(s) Institutional engagement

Political Opportunities

Future forward for gender budgeting Leverage from other countries - Developments in the Republic of Ireland, Spanish ACs Political opportunities in devolved nations - Scotland SNP commitment, Greens, SWBG New powers in taxation and social security, childcare review Shifting discourse - Wales Plaid, Labour, Revision of economic policy - Northern Ireland New assembly; ‘People not profit’; NIWBG -

Best foot forward? “ A society which is fair and equitable underpins a strong economy. That thinking is now underpinning the approach the (Scottish) government is taking to the formulation of the next iteration of the economic strategy.” (John Swinney, 2016 in Feminist Economics and Public Policy) A new programme for government in Scotland

Thank you for coming to Gender Budgeting in Scotland, UK and Ireland: Comparisons, challenges and convergence