1. Use of Reference Budgets by a variety of societal stakeholders in Belgium
Bérénice Storms
Herman Deleeck Centre for Social Policy – University of Antwerp
Centre for Budget Advice & Budget research – Thomas More
EMIN – Peer Review: Use of Reference Budgets for Policy Purposes
Antwerp – 18 &

2. Belgian Reference budgets situated
Everyone has the right to lead a life in keeping with human dignity. To this end, the laws …guarantee economic, social and cultural rights…..” (Art.23 Belgian Constitution)
All people have the right to social assistance, aiming at strengthening the capabilities of vulnerable people “to lead a live that meets the standards of human dignity” (Article 1 Organic Law, Public Centres for Social Welfare).
But no benchmark:
Large variations in and within PCSWs and enforcement depends on subjective interpretation of judge
2006: request from PCSWs to construct a benchmark to evaluate individual living conditions with a view of human dignity
2008: Reference Budgets for Flanders (17 family types; two housing conditions, people on active age (not working), children (2-18 y)
2010: Reference Budgets for Brussels, Wallonia & Flanders (21 family types + newly composed families, three housing conditions, all ages (except 0-2 y), three activity statuses)
Yearly adjustments (repricing) & 5-yearly updates ( ) for Flanders
2011: CEBUD, Centre for Budget Advice & Budget Research
Valorisation of Reference Budgets in a scientific context (with University of Antwerp), in a societal context

3. Use of the belgian reference budgets in scientific context
Research on the method:
Which role for focus groups? (Devuyst, Storms, &. Penne, 2014)
Development of an energy budget (De Schutter & Storms, 2016)
Development of a water budget (Van Thielen, Storms, Penne & Stockman, 2017)
Research on the adequacy of minimum income protection:
Adequacy of child benefits / student benefits (Storms & Bogaerts, 2012; Hufkens, Bogaerts, Storms & Verbist, 2014)
The adequacy of social assistance for people on active age (Storms & Van Mechelen, 2016)
Reference budgets as a benchmark to evaluate the adequacy of minimum income protection (Storms, Penne, Vandelannoote & Van Thielen, 2015, 2017)

4. Reference budgets as a benchmark to evaluate the adequacy of Belgian minimum income protection
/Month
Source: Reference budgets, 2017 and net minimum incomes simulated by HHoT 2017

5. Use of the belgian reference budgets in scientific context
Research on the method:
Which role for focus groups? (Devuyst, Storms, &. Penne, 2014)
Development of an energy budget (De Schutter & Storms, 2016)
Development of a water budget (Van Thielen, Storms, Penne & Stockman, 2017)
Research on the adequacy of minimum income protection:
Adequacy of child benefits / student benefits (Storms & Bogaerts, 2012; Hufkens, Bogaerts, Storms & Verbist, 2014)
The adequacy of social assistance for people on active age (Storms & Van Mechelen, 2016)
Reference budgets as a benchmark to evaluate the adequacy of minimum income protection (Storms, Penne, Vandelannoote & Van Thielen, 2015, 2017)
Research on the use of reference budgets for research on affordabiity of public goods and services
Development of an indicator to measure housing affordability (Heylen & Haffner, )
Research on water affordability (Vanhille, Goedemé, Penn, Van Thielen & Storms, )

6. Use of Belgian reference budgets in societal context
Development of tools:
REMI/REDI (2014): used by PCSWs to gain insight in the efforts that can be made to ensure clients a decent living standard and to determine the level of additional income (See: pdf Reference Budget Jan Peeters)
STUFI (2014): used by social services of universities and university colleges: to calculate the level of financial support for needy students
Budget calculator (2014): used by governmental administrations, labour judges, NGO’s and individual consumers to calculate the level of a decent income based on reference budgets
Melissa (2018): for debt counselors to calculate the level of a decent income for people paying debts
Tools take account of clients own needs and living conditions (e.g. housing costs, health costs, child care costs, school costs)
Publishing subject dividers for budget advisers, helping people ordening administration
Publishing cookery books with daily menus to cook healthily and economically (2012, 2015, 2017) and budget agenda for teachers, social organisations, students, individual consumers…

7. Thank you for your attention!
Questions?

8. Reference budgets as a benchmark to guarantee a decent life to families with debts