Informal Economy Budget Analysis
Informal Economy Budget Analysis (IEBA) examines how government budgets address the needs and interests of different groups of informal workers. It also explores what opportunities exist for informal workers (or their representatives) to participate at different stages of the budget process.
Pioneered by the women’s movement, interrogation of resource allocation within government budgets has proved to be a powerful policy analysis and advocacy tool. WIEGO has adapted these techniques for the informal economy.
WIEGO then commissioned an analysis of government budgets from an informal economy perspective in four cities: Belo Horizonte in Brazil, Lahore in Pakistan, Metropolitan Lima in Peru, and Quezon City in the Philippines. Debbie Budlender provided technical guidance for this.
Case Reports
Each case focused on both the national budget and a city budget. In each case, country researchers drafted detailed research reports. See:
- Salej, A. 2010. Informal Economy Budget Analysis in Brazil and Belo Horizonte. WIEGO Working Paper No. 15.
- Mumtaz, K. and Saleem, N. 2010. Informal Economy Budget Analysis in Pakistan and Ravi Town, Lahore. WIEGO Working Paper No. 14.
- Aliaga Linares, L. 2010. Informal Economy Budget Analysis in Peru and Metropolitan Lima. WIEGO Working Paper No. 13.
- Casanova-Dorotan, F. 2010. Informal Economy Budget Analysis in Philippines and Quezon City. WIEGO Working Paper No. 12.
A policy dialogue was held to share and discuss the findings with membership-based organizations of informal workers and other relevant stakeholders.
Briefs
Debbie Budlender drafted popular versions of these reports. See:
- Budlender, D. 2009. Informal Economy Budget Analysis in Brazil and Belo Horizonte. WIEGO Budget Brief No.4. | See also Portuguese translation.
- Budlender, D. 2009. Informal Economy Budget Analysis in Pakistan and Ravi Town, Lahore. WIEGO Budget Brief No. 3. | See also Urdu translation
- Budlender, D. 2009. Informal Economy Budget Analysis in Peru and Metropolitan Lima. Budget Brief No.2. | See also Spanish translation.
- Budlender, D. 2009. Informal Economy Budget Analysis in Philippines and Quezon City. Budget Brief No.1.
Read the consolidated report summarizing the findings from the four cities: Budlender, D. Informal Economy Budget Analysis in Brazil, Pakistan, Peru and Philippines. WIEGO Working Paper No. 11.
Guide on Conducting IEBA
Debbie Budlender also drafted a guide on how to conduct informal economy budget analyses. This guide is aimed at researchers and others who might like to undertake IEBAs in other cities and countries. See:
- Budlender, D. How to Analyse Government Budgets from an Informal Economy Perspective. Technical Brief No. 1.
The research reference team for this project consisted of Marty Chen (WIEGO International Co-ordinator and Harvard University) and Francie Lund (WIEGO Social Protection Programme Director and University of KwaZulu-Natal).
Read Background of IEBA.