The Budget and the Poor

Annual budgets in developing countries, in general, are historically regarded as the intellectual output of the ivory tower economists and policy planners of these countries. It has been no different in Bangladesh where the budget-making process has largely remained a non-participatory exercise in terms of interacting with the representatives of the poorer sections of the society. The present work critically examines the annual budgets in Bangladesh with particular focus on the social sector and attempts to capture the perceptions of the poor people. Based on an IDPAA research report, the book aims to illustrate to what extent the poor participate in the budget-framing process and what their share of the resource allocation is in the annual budgets. This is a longitudinal study undertaken by researchers excelling in a new approach toward poverty eradication. It presents an approach that emphasizes the social responsibility of the framers of the national budget. It calls for a commitment to involve people who will be effected by the budget. Above all, it promotes a participatory style of cooperative learning and action and building of institutions, which is the essence of democracy. The book addresses one of the most important areas of concern and demands the attentions of those involved in framing and administering the national budget as well as the ordinary citizen.