Civil society engagement in district budgetary process: a case of lushoto district in Tanga region, Tanzania
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Date
2012
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Sokoine University of Agriculture
Abstract
The role of civil society in budgetary processes in many of developing countries has been a
result of current government reforms which have taken place since 1990s. A study to
assess the civil society engagement in district budgetary process was carried out in Lushoto
District. Specific objectives were: to examine the level of understanding of the existing
legal and institutional frameworks for civil society involvements in district development
budget formulation process, to examine the existing budget formulation mechanism that
involved Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and lastly to establish whether the CSOs role
in budget formulation process were recognized. The data were collected through structured
questionnaires; Focus Group Discussion (FGD), key informant interviews and literature
review. Questionnaire survey was administered to a total of 72 respondents. Data collected
through this technique were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science
(SPSS) programme. Data from FGD and key informants interview were recorded and its
content analysed to enrich the study. A review of relevant documents, policies and
regulations related to budget and budgetary process and scholarly reports was also
conducted. The study revealed that there was low level understanding of legal and
institutional frameworks to district executives and members of CSOs. The budget
mechanism in place limited CSOs participation. Non compliance among legal and
institutional frameworks on CSOs participation and between such frameworks and practice
were observed. The linear regression results indicated that position in the organization,
education level and awareness of policies and regulations for CSOs participation in
development budget formulation process of respondents had significant influence on civil
society engagement (P<0.05). The study concluded that the CSOs participation in budget
formulation process at local level was limited and there was failure by executives to
comprehend the policies. There was also inadequacy
of
legal
frameworks
in
addressing CSOs participation. Capacity development and review and harmonisation of
legal and institutional budget framework by the government were some of
recommendations made.
Description
Master's Dissertation
Keywords
Civil society, Budgetary, Engagement, Organisations, Lushoto