Proposed Methodology for Ibp Case Studies

CSO budget work takes place in a range of dramatically different contexts, in terms of political systems, levels of economic development, and the strength and capacity of civil society. At the same time, the IBP and its partner organizations implement programs that have sufficient similarity for us to begin to assess which strategies work best in which contexts and, therefore, contribute to systemic learning and improvements in the quality of our work over time. Among the common elements of our programs are the focus on budget analysis, the training programs that are being implemented in many different countries, the efforts to develop broad civil society coalitions to seek reforms, and the more sharply focused advocacy strategies being undertaken. It is this set of core elements of a common strategy that drive our interest in the following overarching questions, which we will seek to answer through the Learning Program: • How and under what conditions do CSOs and the coalitions in which they work have an impact on budget processes, budget policies, and institutions? • What kind of civil society budget work is most likely to bring about change in government budgets? • How does country context influence the likelihood of civil society impact on government budgets? • What kinds of support do CSOs need in order to have the maximum impact? • What kinds of impact can CSOs achieve?