Gender Budgeting in Austria Gerhard STEGER Director General

Gender Budgeting in Austria Gerhard STEGER Director General for Budget and Public Finances Ministry of Finance, Austria Vienna, June 2013

Austrian Federal Budget Reform - Overview 200 201 9 Budgetary discipline and planning: binding medium term expenditure framework 3 Result-oriented management of administrative units una nim ous dec isio n in par Performance Budgeting liam Flexibility for line ministries through full carry-forward of unused funds ent 200 7, 2 009 Accrual budgeting and accounting New budget structure: „lump-sum budgets“ new budget principles: outcome-orientation; efficiency; transparency; true and fair view Gerhard Steger Gender Budgeting in Austria Vienna, June 2013 2

Why Performance Budgeting? Ø Typical budget decision: Who gets how much? Ø Complementary decision: Who has to deliver which results for citizens? Ø Budget should steer resources AND results to strengthen strategic policy impact and Ø to provide transparency to citizens: value for tax-payers money Gerhard Steger Gender Budgeting in Austria Vienna, June 2013 3

Challenges Ø Cultural shift towards results: relevant for politicians and administration Ø Relevance: Focus on key issues – avoid creating a bureaucratic monster Ø Consistency of performance objectives Verifiability: concrete benchmarks for success Ø Comparability over time Ø Coverage: No exemptions Ø Ambition and conciseness Gerhard Steger Gender Budgeting in Austria Vienna, June 2013 4

Tools Ø Intended outcomes and outputs are integral part of budget decisions Ø Standardized inpact assessment for draft legal acts and major spending programs (ex ante) Ø Evaluation of legal acts and major spending programs (ex post) Gerhard Steger Gender Budgeting in Austria Vienna, June 2013 5

Dimensions Impact on Ø Ø Ø Ø budget (expenditure; revenue) gender environment social issues economy consumers children and youth administrative costs for citizens and enterprises Gerhard Steger Gender Budgeting in Austria Vienna, June 2013 6

Performance Budgeting (GB integrated) - Pyramid Budget Chapter Mission statement Max. 5 outcome objectives, at least 1 gender objective Detail Budget G Objectives and Activities Annual Budget Statement Global Budget 1 – 5 primary activities Gender is included Detail Budget e Objectives and Activities Detail Budget n Objectives and Activities Detail Budget d Objectives and Activities Detail Budget e Objectives and Activities Detail Budget r Objectives and Activities Detail Budget i Objectives and Activities Detail Budget n Objectives and Activities Detail Budget cl. Objectives and Activities Explanatory budget documents Performance Contracts Gerhard Steger Gender Budgeting in Austria Vienna, June 2013 7

Annual Budget Statement as of 2013 per Chapter 1/2 Mission Statement: Cash Flow Statement Ceiling MTEF Budget n+1 Budget n Actual n-1 Receipts Expenditures – fix ceiling Expenditures – variable ceiling Total expenditures Net cash balance Operating Statement Revenues Expenses Net balance MTEF = medium term expenditure framework Gerhard Steger Gender Budgeting in Austria Vienna, June 2013 8

Annual Budget Statement as of 2013 per Chapter 2/2 Outcome objective 1: Why this objective: What will be done to achieve this objective: What would success look like: Ø Max. 5 outcome objectives per chapter Ø 1 outcome objective directly addressing gender equality Ø Overall objective: Integrated view on budget and performance information Gerhard Steger Gender Budgeting in Austria Vienna, June 2013 9

Annual Budget Statement as of 2013 per Global Budget 1/2 Global Budget xx. 01 Operating Statement Budget n+1 Budget n Actual n-1 Revenues from operating activities and transfers Revenues from financing activities Revenues l Personnel expenses Operating expenses Transfer expenses Expenses on financial activities Expenses …variable expenses thereof Legally binding Net balance Global Budget xx. 01 Cash Flow Statement Budget n+1 Budget n Actual n-1 Receipts from operating activities and transfers Receipts from investment activities Receipts from repayments of loans Receipts Personnel and operating expenditures Expenditures from transfers Expenditures from investment activities Expenditures from loans Expenditures …variable expenditures thereof Net cash balance Comment: On global budget level, total expenses (operating statement) and total expenditures (cash flow statement) are legally binding. Gerhard Steger Gender Budgeting in Austria Vienna, June 2013 10

Annual Budget Statement as of 2013 per Global Budget 2/2 Activities/Outputs (max. five incl. gender-activity) Contribution to outcome objective/s no. What will be done to achieve the outcome objectives? Activities/Outputs: What does success look like? Milestones/Indicators for n+1 What does success look like? Milestones/Indicators for n Comments on activities/outputs of the preceding budget statement, which are no longer listed in the present budget statement Recent recommendation of the Court of Audit Response of the ministry Gerhard Steger Gender Budgeting in Austria Vienna, June 2013 11

Practical Example: Labour Market (Summary) Outcome: Improving ability to work for elderly persons (50+) Ø Why? Know how; contributes to growth and productivity; securing affordability of social system Ø How? Fostering re-integration into the labour market; support programs Ø Success? Employment rate for elderly persons; number of persons supported by allowances; number of health checks, of counseling interviews Gerhard Steger Gender Budgeting in Austria Vienna, June 2013 12

Practical Example: Family Policy (Summary) Outcome: Facilitating compatibility of jobs & family Ø Why? Labour market participation fosters gender equality Ø How? Improved childcare facilities by agreements between federal and regional governments; higher participation rate of men in childcare by redesigning family allowances Ø Success? Birth rate; participation rate of men in childcare; percentage of children covered by childcare facilities Gerhard Steger Gender Budgeting in Austria Vienna, June 2013 13

Why Gender Budgeting? Ø To foster gender equality: Focus on the most important levers. Ø Budget decisions are KEY decisions: Government policy put into numbers. Ø Therefore: Use the budget as lever for gender equality! Gerhard Steger Gender Budgeting in Austria Vienna, June 2013 14

Gender Budgeting enshrined in the Austrian Constitution Ø Art. 13 of the Austrian Constitution requires: “Federation, States and Communes are to strive for the effective equality of women and men in their budget management. ” Ø According to the Austrian Constitution the Austrian Federation has to apply Gender Budgeting as an integral element of Performance Budgeting: Art. 51 of the Austrian Constitution states: „In the budget management of the Federation the fundamental principles of impact orientation, especially under consideration of the objectives of the effective equality of women and men. . . are to be observed. “ Gerhard Steger Gender Budgeting in Austria Vienna, June 2013 15

Challenges in Implementing Gender Budgeting Political: Ø Create awareness for gender issues: Identify reasons for stakeholders to support GB. Ø Establish a broad political consensus to implement GB. Technical: Ø Focus on the most important issues. Don’t create a bureaucratic monster! Ø Design simple tools to support GB (i. e. standards to present GB in the budget). Ø Collect, analyze and disseminate sex-disaggregated and gender-related data to identify the challenges to be tackled. Ø Provide adequate training of staff. Gerhard Steger Gender Budgeting in Austria Vienna, June 2013 16

Austrian Budget 2013: Practical GB-Examples Ø Facilitate compatibility of job & family: Ministries of Finance; Economy and Family; High Courts Ø Facilitate participation of women in labour market: Ministries of Labour and Social Affairs; Economy and Family; Transport, Innovation and Technology Ø Reduce gender pay gap: Ministry of Finance Ø Safeguard women against violence: Chancellery; Ministry of Interior Ø Reduce poverty among women: Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs; Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ø Improve representation of women in institutions: Chancellery; Ministries of Defense; Science; Economy and Family; Finance Ø Improve gender data base: Court of Audit; Ministries for Labour and Social Affairs; Health; Transport, Innovation and Technology Ø Improve public awareness for gender equality: Parliament; Chancellery. Gerhard Steger Gender Budgeting in Austria Vienna, June 2013 17

Practical Example: Technology and Innovation (Summary) Outcome: Higher percentage of women employed in technology and innovation. How? Gender specific criteria will be incorporated in subsidies for technology and innovation. Success? Percentage (2013: 18 %) and number (2013: 7400) of women employed in technology and innovation. Gerhard Steger Gender Budgeting in Austria Vienna, June 2013 18

Practical Example: Safeguard Against Violence (Summary) Outcome: To safeguard women against violence. Why? Women are increasingly victims of violence especially within families. How? Activities to prevent violence and to safeguard endangered women. Success? Percentage (2013: 10 %) of abuses against bans to enter flats of endangered women; number of events (2013: 2000) to create awareness concerning violence against women. Gerhard Steger Gender Budgeting in Austria Vienna, June 2013 19

Practical Example: Finance (Summary) Outcome: Higher percentage of women in supervisory boards of state owned companies. Why? Women underrepresented in these boards. How? Appoint a higher percentage of women. Success? Percentage of women in supervisory boards of state owned companies (2013: 25 %; 2015: 30 %). Gerhard Steger Gender Budgeting in Austria Vienna, June 2013 20

Impact assessment Ø Key tool of performance budgeting Ø Applies for legal acts and major spending programs Ø Several dimensions (see page 6) Ø Forces administration to ex-ante clearly assess - financial consequences of the respective issue? - consequences for the diverse dimensions? Ø Supported by a standardized IT-tool Gerhard Steger Gender Budgeting in Austria Vienna, June 2013 21

Impact Evaluation Ø Evaluation - legal acts and major spending programs - in charge: respective line ministry - time interval: 5 years Ø Impact controlling - intended outcomes and outputs defined in the budget + results of evaluations in line ministries - in charge: chancellery in cooperation with line ministries - twice a year: report to parliament Gerhard Steger Gender Budgeting in Austria Vienna, June 2013 22

Is the Tanker Moving? Ø Big cultural issue for administration and parliament: Focus on results. Ø Cultural shift supported by intensive training courses. Ø All ministries delivered outcomes and outputs; administration had to deal with intended results. Ø Quality varies depending on commitment from ministers and senior administrative staff (ambition; conciseness). Ø Consistency is sometimes an issue (between „related“ ministries; within ministries). Ø Budget debates in parliamentary committees considerably focused more on results than in previous years; ministers grilled for perceived unambitious results. Ø Media started to deal with performance issues. Gerhard Steger Gender Budgeting in Austria Vienna, June 2013 23

Austrian Experience in a Nutshell Ø Performance and gender budgeting is not just a legal but primarily a cultural issue. Ø Thus, implementation is never finished. Ø Performance and gender budgeting can trigger a focus on results if: - the design is robust and limits complexity - well prepared - involved stakeholders make use of it - watchdogs assure relevance and quality Gerhard Steger Gender Budgeting in Austria Vienna, June 2013 24

Integration of Organisational, Budget and Performance Management Structures Gerhard Steger Gender Budgeting in Austria Vienna, June 2013 25

Thank you for your attention! Contact address: Dr. Gerhard Steger Director General Directorate for Budget and Public Finance Austrian Federal Ministry of Finance Tel: +43 1 514 33 50 2000 gerhard. steger@bmf. gv. at www. bmf. gv. at Gerhard Steger Gender Budgeting in Austria Vienna, June 2013 26