How policy and budget proofing can advance human rights and equality in Ireland

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">After almost twenty years of devolved government in Scotland, during which gender analysis of the budget process has been advocated, this article explores the discursive framing of gender budgeting and progress towards implementation. Charting historical and conceptual developments, from feminist economics and feminist institutionalist perspectives, the article highlights the significance of engaged political, civil society and policy actors; the need for clear conceptual framing; and the time it has taken for limited progress to embed. Conscious of financial constraints and economic commitments, including an ambitious extension of publicly funded childcare, the discussion highlights the positive advances in integrating gender equality into economic analysis. It offers insight into the institutional arrangements and advocacy that have maintained pressure for the Scottish budget process to be subject to effective scrutiny and to function as a key driver of gender equality.</abstract>

Gender budgeting in Scotland: A work in progress

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">This article examines the role of social/poverty impact assessment in contributing to the shaping of policy at a local level in Ireland. In doing so, it briefly describes the broader impact assessment landscape internationally, presenting key definitions and identifying underlying principles. From this the article highlights the key elements of social impact assessment, proposing a three-phase process to guide consideration of impact assessment, namely a pre-assessment phase, an assessment phase and a post-assessment phase. An analysis of these different phases then allows for a range of technical and more ‘theological’ assessment complexities to be presented. With this background in place, the article moves on to examine the local-level experience in Ireland. It acknowledges the highly innovative nature of poverty proofing as originally introduced in 1998 and retitled poverty impact assessment following a 2006 review by the Office for Social Inclusion. However, it points to the low level of engagement with poverty impact assessment processes at local level and suggests that poverty impact assessments have become largely subservient to other forms of impact assessment, particularly strategic environmental assessment. The article concludes that the local level does offer an important space for the practice of poverty impact assessment, but is unlikely to do so without the provision of appropriate capacity and resources, or without it being hardwired as a legislative obligation, albeit accompanied by mechanisms to sensitise and incentivise policymakers towards its usage.</abstract>

Learning lessons from local social/poverty impact assessment

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">The paper examines various rationales for applying equality and human rights proofing mechanisms to fiscal policy. The principle of using available resources to the maximum to progressively realise human rights, and not to erode the revenue capacity of developing nations to do likewise, is at the heart of emerging human rights norms. To date, Irish budgetary processes and major policy statements such as the Commission on Taxation or the draft outline <italic>National Plan on Business and Human Rights Strategy</italic> have not engaged with the principles of maximising available resources or extraterritoriality. Proofing fiscal policy is also relevant from the perspective of fiscal welfare where taxation instruments, traditionally used as a revenue-gathering mechanism, are increasingly used as distributional mechanisms to achieve policy outcomes in pensions, health, housing and employment, with important equality and distributive dimensions, particularly from gender, age and socioeconomic perspectives. A number of practical institutional mechanisms and evaluative questions can guide equality and human rights proofing of fiscal policy, but commitments to maximise resources to realise rights also need to be promoted through a public discourse which sees taxation as potential investment in society rather than a burden or cost on the economy.</abstract>

Maximising available resources: Equality and human rights proofing Irish fiscal policy

Human rights and fiscal oversight: A case study of the Northern Ireland 2011–15 budget

Gender budgeting in Europe: What can we learn from best practice?

Poverty proofing – An evolutionary process towards poverty reduction

A duty to value: Implementing the public sector equality and human rights duty

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Administration

 PRINT ISSN: 0001-8325ONLINE ISSN: 2449-9471  Administration is the peer-reviewed journal of the Institute of Public Administration of Ireland. It has been published quarterly since 1953. As the principal journal concerned with Irish public administration and its development, it seeks to combine original scholarship on public administration from a variety of disciplines with the insights and experiences of practitioners.  Rejection Rate   80%   Archiving  Sciendo archives the contents of this journal in Portico - digital long-term preservation service of scholarly books, journals and collections.  Plagiarism Policy  The editorial board is participating in a growing community of Similarity Check System's users in order to ensure that the content published is original and trustworthy. Similarity Check is a medium that allows for comprehensive manuscripts screening, aimed to eliminate plagiarism and provide a high standard and quality peer-review process. 

Administration

Volume 65 (2017): Issue 3 (August 2017)

Note from the Guest Editor

How policy and budget proofing can advance human rights and equality in Ireland

Articles