The current study is conducted in order to assess how to integrate the gender aspect in state and municipal budgetary processes. In order to achieve the goal of the study, two budget programmes were analysed by gender in 3 consecutive calendar years (2014, 2015 and 2016):
1) Aizkraukle Municipality Council budget category 08.000 ‘Recreation, culture, religion’;
2) Active employment activity ‘Professional training, requalification and improvement of qualification’ of the MoW budget sub-programme 63.0700 ‘Projects implemented by the European Social Fund (ESF) (2014-2020)’, which was organised in two, consecutive ESF projects ‘Training for the unemployed and job seekers in Latvia – 2’ and ‘Support to the education of the unemployed’. The State Employment Agency (SEA) was the beneficiary and implementer of both projects.
The study analyses in depth planning, adoption and spending processes of the above-mentioned budget programme and evaluates the impact of these processes on the situation of women and men in the field / sector, incl. assessment of how and whether the gender and role (in the society) affect the level of satisfaction with the received service, and identifying any challenges and obstacles preventing or restricting the target group of the budget programme / sub-programme from receiving the service(s).
Representatives of the SEA, the Aizkraukle Municipality and the Ministry of Welfare were actively involved in the study in order to obtain as much detail as possible on the area being researched. Based on the results of the study, recommendations were prepared on the necessary changes in budgeting processes. Methodological recommendations for the improvement of national policy evaluation tools for the institutional budget efficiency analysis by gender were also developed.
In addition, best practices of 5 countries (the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Ukraine) are summarised using Gender Budgeting approach, and an insight is given on the possibilities of application and adaptation of experiences of these countries to Latvia. The recommendations have been developed taking into account the institutional mechanism of implementation of Latvian gender equality for them to be used in research objects and in other state and municipal structures.
The results of the study are summarised in the Handbook, which is intended for the state and municipal employees.
The results of the study were presented in 2 (two) informative workshops for the state and municipal employees – Aizkraukle Municipality Council, SEA and the Ministry of Welfare employees.
In addition, the results of the study were presented to the Human Rights and Public Affairs Committee of the Parliament of Latvia, and the representatives from The Ombudsman’s Office, The State Audit Office, The Ministry of Finance, The Ministry of Agriculture, Riga Municipality and other interested parties.
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