KARACHI: Pakistan must test out the concept of participatory budgeting to give voice to the poor segments to enhance the effectiveness and impact of budgets, said a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) publication launched on Thursday.

This was the third issue of Development Advocate Pakistan, a quarterly publication that focuses on a specific development sector in each edition.

The latest issue focuses on the political economy of the budget.

Giving example of the Brazilian city Porto Alegre, the publication says that around 40,000 people have participated in budget preparation every year since 1999. Result: more empowerment for the low-income segments.

Sewer and water connections in the city “increased from 75 per cent of total household in 1988 to 98pc in 1997. The number of schools quadrupled and the health and education budgets increased from 13pc to 40pc in ten years,” it said.

Apart from citizen participation, parliamentary engagement in budget-making should also be improved, it said, adding that debates take place on average of 15 to 20 days.

On the occasion, UNDP Country Director Marc-Andre Franche, said: “The budget is one of the most powerful fiscal instruments at the disposal of the incumbent governments to implement their political commitments and development agenda.”

But unfortunately, the debate on budgets focuses more on allocations and expenditures and less on the critical issues like transparency and accountability, he said.

A panel discussion was also held which was attended by Dr Ashfaque H. Khan, Principal and Dean, School of Social Sciences and Humanities (S3H), National University of Science and Technology (NUST); Shahnaz Wazir Ali, former special assistant to prime minister; Zubair Motiwala, co-president of Pakistan Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Mohammed Sabir, Principal Economist at Social Policy and Development Centre; and moderated by Khurram Husain, a business journalist.

Adviser to Chief Minister Sindh on Finance Syed Murad Ali Shah also attended.

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2014