The Open Budget Initiative published Open Budget Index 2008,
which evaluates the quantity and type of information available
to the public in a country’s budget documents. According to the
report France, New Zealand, South Africa, the UK, and the US
provide extensive information about annual budget to the public.
The average score for 85 countries surveyed is 39 (out of 100=
extensive information). Countries like China, Cambodia, DRC,
Nicaragua, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, and Nigeria have poor index
value, which shows that they provide scant or no budget
information to the public. This alone shows how accountable are
these governments their people! The report notes that in Nepal,
Kenya, Sri Lanka, and Croatia the process became much
transparent due to pressure from the civil society. The role of
civil society in this process is very important, especially in
the developing countries. 80 Percent of Governments Don’t
Account for Spending - The worst performers tend to be low-
income countries and often depend heavily on