What gets lost along the way?Chances and pitfalls of government led

implementation procedures for GRBThe case of Austria

Dr. Elisabeth KlatzerEuropean Gender Budgeting Network

elisabeth.klatzer@gmx.net

WiSE ConferenceCounting on Women: Gender, Care and Economics

Glasgow, May 24-26

Main research question

„GRB as a long-term change process“

Implementation of Gender Budgeting in Austria: is it on the right track?

Outline

Framework for analysing change in public administration

Account of Gender Budgeting implementation in Austria

Analysis using the theoretical framework Some conclusions

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

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)

Source: Michael Butler

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

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)

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

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

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

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

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

Putting into practice: Defining gender equality performance objectives (2)

ExamplesInternal 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

Analysis of Austrian case

Receptivtiy Organizational level

Ideological vision Leading change Institutional politics Implementation capacity

Possibility space

Ideological vision factor

Strategic agenda Goals intelligible to all stakeholders? Consistency?

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

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

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

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