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Union, principally financed by the EU
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The Changing Role of Parliament
in the Budget Process
The Grand National Assembly of Turkey (GNAT)
in collaboration with Sigma
and
MATRA FLEX
Afyonkarahisar, Turkey
8-9 October 2008
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The Parliament and the Budget
Enhancing its Capacity for Oversight
Prof. Daniel Tarschys
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”The Power over the
Purse”
Early rulers convened ”grand
councils” when they needed new
aids and contributions
 Meanwhile, they relied on their
”small councils”
 Eventually, these two fluid
bodies were institutionalised into
parliaments and cabinets

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The Power Balance under
Parliamentarism

Parliaments are formally the
ultimate decision-makers on
money matters

But under parliamentarism, most
real decisions are nevertheless
made by governments
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The Stages of
Budgeting
requests,
 central priority-setting,
 legislation,
 execution,
 auditing
 scrutiny.

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Where Does Parliament
Come In?
requests,
 central priority-setting,
 legislation,
 execution,
 auditing
 scrutiny.

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Involvement in the
legislative phase

US Congress vs UK Parliament

Most countries: very few
amendments

Three Models of Budgetary
Examination:
* single budget committee
* specialised committees
* mixed solution
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Models for Auditing

Anglo-Saxon Model: Comptroller
General

Mediterranean Model: Court of
Auditors

N. & E. European Model:
Auditing Agency
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Parliament & the Audit
Involvement in appointment?
Report to parliament? If so, to
whom? Public accounts
committee, or specialised
committees?
Extensive treatment in
parliament?
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Holding the Executive
Accountable
Why parliamentary oversight matters:
morale and motivation in the
executive branch
 confidence and legitimacy
 policy learning and policy
innovation
 social consensus

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Impotent parliaments?
No!
Resource matters often decided
outside the budgetary process.
 The budget is mainly a summary
of previous decisions.
 Parliamentary discussions affect
the parameters for governmental
action
 The power of questions

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Questions on public
expenditures
Questions on disbursements
(regularity, legality, eligibility)
 Questions on output
(effectiveness, efficiency,
economy)
 Questions about outcomes and
impact

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Sources of information
Disbursements (regularity,
legality, eligibility):
AUDITS
 Output (effectiveness, efficiency,
economy):
EVALUATION
 Questions about outcomes and
impact

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Designing procedures for
parliamentary scrutiny



Institutional issues: which committees
are involved?
Informational issues: on which basis
can parliaments raise questions
about budgetary performance?
Spoon-fed by government, or
independent sources?
Procedural issues: how should the
proceedings be organised to make
an impact?
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Institutional issues

Annual discharge procedures?

Public accounts committees, or
specialised committees?

Special rapporteurs?
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Performance budgeting:
do parliaments care?

“There is very little direct evidence
that performance information in
budgets and annual reports is
directly used by members of
parliament in their oversight”
Miekatrien Sterck & Geert
Bouckaert 2006
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Analytical resources

Scrutiny of government reports

Staff assistance (in parties, in
committees, or in general
parliamentary research services)

External resources (modalities
for use, hearings, reports).
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Formating parliamentary
discussions
From agora to chamber to studio
 The new parliamentary balcony
is in the living-room
 In an age of massive
entertainment, will the audience
stay tuned?

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Setting the stage
for parliamentary oversight



Architecture
Scenography
Dramaturgy
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Parliamentary
cooperation
Inter-parliamentary Union
 Parliamentary Assemblies
 COSAC
 Association of Secretaries
General of Parliaments (ASGP)
 International Political Science
Association: research group on
legislative studies

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