This chapter argues that a managerial approach to budget execution yields a more effective budget process and a higher value to the long-term fiscal health of the organization, be it a central, district, or local government.
A managerial approach goes beyond a simple accounting approach in two ways. First, it incorporates budget execution information into managerial decision making on a continuous basis. Second, it requires management information to be incorporated into budget execution reporting.
Monitoring and reporting during budget execution is not simply a legal compliance exercise; it is an essential feedback loop that provides program managers with critical information to guide their implementation of policies and
programs approved by the governing body.
Developing a managerial approach to budget execution does not necessarily require a sophisticated financial information management system with complex software programs.
The most important ingredient is an organizational culture that values transparency and that encourages and rewards legal compliance as a professional value.
Staff who value and receive political support for transparency can collect data on transactions and
program performance in simple procedures.
Timeliness of reports depends less on sophisticated software and more on a cultural imperative to efficiently and effectively collect and transmit the information to program managers and policy makers.
A supportive political environment is essential to fostering a managerial approach to budgeting and to maintaining an organizational culture that values transparency and compliance.
Without the political fortitude of government leaders to confront information on corruption and inept management, line staff members have little incentive to collect data,much less transmit data in a timely manner.
Political leadership that encourages and supports a culture of transparency also promotes a budget execution system that operates efficiently and effectively to support program managers.
Leaders who choose to develop an effective budget execution system should not tolerate leakage during budget execution.
They should support accounting staff members who collect data that may indicate poor program performance, as well as budgeteer who conduct field visits to collect qualitative data on program performance.
They should encourage managers to use the data collected during budget execution to improve the operations of their programs.