Dr. Elisabeth Klatzer European Gender Budgeting Network elisabeth.klatzer@gmx WiSE Conference

1. What gets lost along the way?Chances and pitfalls of government led implementation procedures for GRBThe case of Austria Dr. Elisabeth Klatzer European Gender Budgeting Network elisabeth.klatzer@gmx.net WiSE Conference Counting on Women: Gender, Care and Economics Glasgow, May 24-26

2. Main research question „GRB as a long-term change process“ Implementation of Gender Budgeting in Austria: is it on the right track?

3. Outline • Framework for analysing change in public administration • Account of Gender Budgeting implementation in Austria • Analysis using the theoretical framework • Some conclusions

4. Framework for analysis • Conventional framework of public management literature • Michael Butler: concept of receptivity • Attempt to reveal factors contributing to organizations being • Low-change contexts • Non-change contexts or • High-change receptive contexts

5. Receptivity How open/receptive are organisations to change and how they cope with it? • Organizational level • Ideological vision • Leading change • Institutional politics • Implementation capacity • Possibility space (emergent processes)

6. Source: Michael Butler

7. Case study - Austria Initial impulse from civil society • Publications, Expertise, Lobbying Pilot projects • Federal level (e.g. income taxation, research funding programs) First attempts of systematic integration • Government decision to develop pilots in all ministries • Chapter „Gender aspects of the budget“ in budget materials • Interministerial steering group • Training activities • Development of manuals, trainings Unique Window of Opportunity: Reform of budgetary laws

8. Austria: Examples of pilot analysis Gender controlling of public administration • Monitoring of highest ranking positions in public administration • Analysing share of men and women • Setting targets to improve representation of women • Carried out annually Analysis of income taxation • Impact of tax structure and rates • Impact of tax brakes (exemptions)

9. Examples of pilot analysis (2) Analysis of pension benefits • Elaboration of disaggregated statistics Labor market policies for people with special needs • Who is elegible? => enlarging the target group • Participation in training programmes • Beneficiary analysis of funding

10. Integrating GRB in budgetary reform in Austria Main elements of the reform: • Medium term planning • Medium term expenditure framework • Strategic planning • Strategy report • New budget structure • Global budgeting instead of line item budgeting • Results-oriented management • Performance Budgeting • Accrual accounting and budgeting Phase 1 Phase 2

11. Legal Provisions for GRB in Austria After piloting phase, strong legal anchoring Constitutional provision: • National, regional and local levels of government have to strive for the effective achievement of equality between women and men in their budgetary policies. Budgetary reform process at federal level: • Gender Budgeting as integral part of performance oriented budgeting

12. Key features of integrating GRB (1) • Providing a firm legal basis Entry points: • Strategic policy documents • Objectives, Indicators • Performance reporting • Impact assessment of legislative projects • Controlling, Monitoring, Auditing Intended impacts are at the center of attention: • Results and impacts, especially taking into account gender equality impacts

13. Putting into practice:Defining gender equality performance objectives (1) • Each ministry has to define at least 1 gender equality performance objective (out of 5 performance objectives) • Big cultural change for administration • Currently pilot phase • Full implementation in 2013

14. Putting into practice:Defining gender equality performance objectives (2) Examples Internal performance objectives: • equal respresentation of women and men in leading positions • equal participation in training activities External performance objectives: • Equal access to active labour market policies (number and quality of training) • Gender equality in educational attainment • Better access of women to research funds • More women in leadership positions at universities

15. Analysis of Austrian case • Receptivtiy • Organizational level • Ideological vision • Leading change • Institutional politics • Implementation capacity • Possibility space

16. Ideological vision factor • Strategic agenda • Goals intelligible to all stakeholders? • Consistency?

17. The leading change factor • Leadership / change strategists? • All org. members need to fulfill the role of strategists, implementers and recipients • Commitment rather than compliance • Influencing people through values and visions • Persuade people to support a common cause or vision

18. Institutional politics factor • Public participation in agenda-setting crucial to obtain legitimacy, support and commitment • Negotiations between different groups within the organisation • Reach agreement on necessity of reform • Obtain and maintain main stakeholders commitment • Importance of cooperative organizational networks (inside and outside) • Advocacy coalitions

19. Implementation capacity factors • Mechanisms used to shape and influence implementation • Behaviour of other stakeholders in org. network • Availability of skills and resources (financial, human, knowledge, time) • Establishment of learning processes

20. Conclusions • Some promising factors • Change strategists located in Finance Ministry • Gradual implementation to allow adaption • … • Some major shortcomings • Need for change not clear, not established • Clear process, but limited vision • People not persuaded of common cause and vision • Change strategists clearly too few • Weak advocacy coalitions • Learning process not established • Side effects considered? • Regular assessments of reform implementation? • … • Rather low-change context