Cross-national histories, challenges and the future potential of gender responsive budgeting

Abstract

Gender inequalities in economic and social wellbeing remain a pressing policy problem locally and globally. International evidence indicates that gender responsive budgeting can be a valuable and effective policy instrument in delivering on positive outcomes for women, non-binary and marginalized communities. Specifically, studies show that reducing disadvantages impacting diverse communities of women leads to greater economic growth, more economic stability, and improved labour productivity. Moreover, revealing the gendered impacts of fiscal policy decisions can result in a fairer distribution of income and supports public engagement with the budget process. Procedurally, gender budgeting can also lead to an focus on the need for more expansive multi-level disaggregated data collection and analysis to account for often invisible intersectional impacts of government’s financial decisions. In 2018, 14 countries in the OECD had implemented some version of Gender Responsive Budgeting. By 2023, this number had reached 26. While this diffusion is no doubt positive, care is needed in assuming such initiatives are new, or that policy learning has been all one way. In this panel, we examine historical and contemporary innovations undertaken by states outside the OECD, including the global south, and the role these states have played in setting an agenda for change. We also explore the extent to which institutional resistances have led to inertia and amnesia in a number of jurisdictions and examine what is required to embed gender responsive budgeting over time.

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