Public Budgeting in African Nations aims to provide usable budgeting and fiscal policy management information to development practitioners interested in improving the performance of governments in the context of good governance. It shares regional and cross-cultural experiences with international audiences and gives reflective attention to comparative budgeting and fiscal policy management. With a promising economic and fiscal forecast, such information is timely for international development practitioners and for scholars and researchers interested in advancing development management.

This book adopts an interdisciplinary/pragmatic approach to analyze and present research findings on public budgeting as a sustainable development tool. The central argument is that development practice will benefit from a bottom-up, decentralized approach to budgeting and fiscal policy management, involving national, sub-national, and civil society institutions. From this perspective, a balanced budget should draw from and reflect values and priorities across the full spectrum of social and political life.

Africa stands at a public budgeting and fiscal administration cross-road. On the one hand, incomes, education, and life-expectancy rates are all on the rise. On the other hand, poverty is still widespread and economic inequality is widening. Now more than ever, it is important for administrators to ask the complicated questions about how African nations should be allocating their fiscal resources to advance the course of judicious development, especially given population growth, quality of life demands, and a growing need for government accountability. This book compiles chapters from authors across countries to address the complex issues involved with decision-making and implementation.