Traditionally, economics training in public finances has focused more on tax than public expenditure issues, and within expenditure, more on policy considerations than the more mundane matters of public expenditure management. For many years, the IMF's Public Expenditure Management Division has answered specific questions raised by fiscal economists on such missions. Based on this experience, these guidelines arose from the need to provide a general overview of the principles and practices observed in three key aspects of public expenditure management: budget preparation, budget execution, and cash planning. For each aspect of public expenditure management, the guidelines identify separately the differing practices in four groups of countries - the francophone systems, the Commonwealth systems, Latin America, and those in the transition economies. Edited by Barry H. Potter and Jack Diamond, this publication is intended for a general fiscal, or a general budget, advisor interested in the macroeconomic dimension of public expenditure management.

In this comprehensive study, 15 African experts describe and analyse the military budgetary processes and degree of parliamentary oversight and control in nine countries of Africa, spanning across all the continent's sub-regions. Each case study addresses a wide range of questions, such as the roles of the ministries of finance, budget offices, audit departments and external actors in the military budgetary processes, the extent of compliance with standard public expenditure management procedures, and how well official military expenditure figures reflect the true economic resources devoted to military activities in these countries.

Radiological crime scene management is the process used to ensure safe, secure, effective and efficient operations at a crime scene where nuclear or other radioactive materials are known, or suspected, to be present. Managing a radiological crime scene is a key part of responding to a nuclear security event. Evidence collection at radiological crime scenes may share a wide range of characteristics with that at conventional crime scenes, such as evidence search patterns, geographical scene modelling and evidence recording, whether or not explosives are involved. This publication focuses on the framework and functional elements for managing a radiological crime scene that are distinct from any other crime scene. It assumes that States have a capability for managing conventional crime scenes.

Virements are useful instruments of budget flexibility. If carried out transparently and within accepted limits, virements can promote expenditure efficiency. Large, unregulated virements can undermine budget credibility and the budget’s relevance as principal policy and financial planning instrument. This note defines virements, clarifies their purpose, and specifies what general and country-specific considerations should guide the design of a virement framework. The note argues that countries should design virement policies maintaining balance between their budget flexibility and accountability needs, and keeping in view the legal-cultural environment and the state of development of their public financial management.

Managing Public Expenditure presents a comprehensive and in-depth analysis of all aspects of public expenditure management from the preparation of the budget to the execution, control and audit stages.

This handbook, jointly produced with the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank Institute and the United Nations Fund for Women, was inspired by a series of regional and national seminars on Parliament and the Budgetary Process, Including from a Gender Perspective. Intended as a reference tool, it sets out practical examples of parliament's active engagement in the budgetary process, seeking to advance parliaments' own institutional capacities to make a positive impact on the budget, and to equip parliament, its members and parliamentary staff with the necessary tools to examine the budget from a gender perspective.--Publisher's description.

This book reviews the experiences of eight OECD countries (Australia, Canada, Denmark, Korea, Netherlands, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States) which have developed and used performance information in the budget process over the past ten years. It examines whether performance information is actually used in budgetary decision making. If so, how? What are the links between resources and results? What impact has there been on improving efficiency, effectiveness and performance? What lessons have been learned from country experiences in applying this approach over a number of years? This book offers guidelines and recommendations on adapting budget systems to promote the use of performance information.--Publisher's description.

When I got to 73 years of age in 2014, I felt serenely aware that I would soon no longer be here to tell my story, so I decided to write it down and thereby leave a record of my life adventure behind me when I depart. With an early childhood spent on the outskirts of the London Blitz, and Beatnik wanderings in the 1950s with Wizz Jones, and hashish-aided esoteric explorations in Notting Hill, and residency in the Coombe Springs Gurdjieff community, followed by a 20-year association with Idries Shah and his Sufi project, I think the story might be valued by those interested in the Western spiritual development upsurge of the 60s and 70s. And it also goes on to encompass travels in Andalusia and Morocco, lucid dreaming explorations in 'the Higgs field' and Hawaii (with Dr. Stephen La Berge), and the battle to create an Australian schizophrenia research institute. So I dare say there's something in it for everyone. I hope you enjoy it.