What gets lost along the way? Chances and pitfalls of government led implementation procedures for GRB The case of Austria Dr. Elisabeth Klatzer European Gender Budgeting Network WiSE Conference Counting on Women: Gender, Care and Economics Glasgow, May 24-26

Main research question „GRB as a long-term change process“ Implementation of Gender Budgeting in Austria: is it on the right track?

Outline  Framework for analysing change in public administration  Account of Gender Budgeting implementation in Austria  Analysis using the theoretical framework  Some conclusions

Framework for analysis  Conventional framework of public management literature  Michael Butler: concept of receptivity  Attempt to reveal factors contributing to organizations being Low-change contexts Non-change contexts or High-change receptive contexts

Receptivity How open/receptive are organisations to change and how they cope with it? Organizational level  Ideological vision  Leading change  Institutional politics  Implementation capacity Possibility space (emergent processes)

Source: Michael Butler

Case study - Austria Initial impulse from civil society Publications, Expertise, Lobbying Pilot projects Federal level (e.g. income taxation, research funding programs) First attempts of systematic integration Government decision to develop pilots in all ministries Chapter „Gender aspects of the budget“ in budget materials Interministerial steering group Training activities Development of manuals, trainings Unique Window of Opportunity: Reform of budgetary laws

Austria: Examples of pilot analysis Gender controlling of public administration Monitoring of highest ranking positions in public administration Analysing share of men and women Setting targets to improve representation of women Carried out annually Analysis of income taxation Impact of tax structure and rates Impact of tax brakes (exemptions)

Examples of pilot analysis (2) Analysis of pension benefits Elaboration of disaggregated statistics Labor market policies for people with special needs Who is elegible? => enlarging the target group Participation in training programmes Beneficiary analysis of funding

Integrating GRB in budgetary reform in Austria Main elements of the reform:  Medium term planning Medium term expenditure framework  Strategic planning Strategy report  New budget structure Global budgeting instead of line item budgeting  Results-oriented management  Performance Budgeting  Accrual accounting and budgeting Phase1Phase1 Phase2Phase2

Legal Provisions for GRB in Austria After piloting phase, strong legal anchoring Constitutional provision:  National, regional and local levels of government have to strive for the effective achievement of equality between women and men in their budgetary policies. Budgetary reform process at federal level:  Gender Budgeting as integral part of performance oriented budgeting

Key features of integrating GRB (1)  Providing a firm legal basis Entry points:  Strategic policy documents  Objectives, Indicators  Performance reporting  Impact assessment of legislative projects  Controlling, Monitoring, Auditing Intended impacts are at the center of attention:  Results and impacts, especially taking into account gender equality impacts

Putting into practice: Defining gender equality performance objectives (1)  Each ministry has to define at least 1 gender equality performance objective (out of 5 performance objectives)  Big cultural change for administration  Currently pilot phase  Full implementation in 2013

Putting into practice: Defining gender equality performance objectives (2) Examples Internal performance objectives: equal respresentation of women and men in leading positions equal participation in training activities External performance objectives: Equal access to active labour market policies (number and quality of training) Gender equality in educational attainment Better access of women to research funds More women in leadership positions at universities

Analysis of Austrian case  Receptivtiy Organizational level  Ideological vision  Leading change  Institutional politics  Implementation capacity  Possibility space

Ideological vision factor  Strategic agenda  Goals intelligible to all stakeholders?  Consistency?

The leading change factor  Leadership / change strategists?  All org. members need to fulfill the role of strategists, implementers and recipients  Commitment rather than compliance Influencing people through values and visions Persuade people to support a common cause or vision

Institutional politics factor  Public participation in agenda-setting crucial to obtain legitimacy, support and commitment  Negotiations between different groups within the organisation Reach agreement on necessity of reform Obtain and maintain main stakeholders commitment  Importance of cooperative organizational networks (inside and outside)  Advocacy coalitions

Implementation capacity factors  Mechanisms used to shape and influence implementation  Behaviour of other stakeholders in org. network  Availability of skills and resources (financial, human, knowledge, time)  Establishment of learning processes

Conclusions  Some promising factors Change strategists located in Finance Ministry Gradual implementation to allow adaption …  Some major shortcomings Need for change not clear, not established Clear process, but limited vision People not persuaded of common cause and vision Change strategists clearly too few Weak advocacy coalitions Learning process not established Side effects considered? Regular assessments of reform implementation? …  Rather low-change context