Who Gets What : A Gender Analysis of Public Expenditure in Bangladesh Book

Contents: Acronyms and Abbreviations. Preface. Introduction. 1. Gender, macroeconomics and budget: an analytical approach/Kaniz Siddique. 2. Gender equality status in Bangladesh/Kaniz Siddique, Masuda Yasmeen and Salma C. Zohir. 3. Public expenditure analysis of Bangladesh/Muzaffar Ahmad and Salma Begum. 4. Research objectives and methodology/Kaniz Siddique. 5. Key findings and recommendations/Barbara Evers. 6. Gender sensitive public expenditure analysis of the agriculture sector/Salma C. Zohir. 7. Assessment of public expenditure in education: achieving gender parity/A.K. Enamul Haque. 8. Gender disaggregation of public expenditure: general administration/A.K.M. Atiqur Rahman. 9. Gender disaggregation of public expenditure in health and nutrition/Abul Barkat and Nazme Sabina. Index.

"In recent years mainstreaming gender issues by incorporating them in budget formulating has been increasingly attracting the attention of policymakers. A gender responsive national budget ensures that the needs and interests of individuals, particularly those of women and girls perspectives are covered adequately.

Although the Government of Bangladesh expressed its commitment to gender equality, there may be a gap between policy statements and their proper implementation though the public budget. Hence a gender budget study is quite relevant to examine the actual achievement towards the attainment of gender equality and equity.

This book presents a base-line study analysing the gender issues implicit in the public expenditure pattern of Bangladesh in the recent past (2000-2003). Public expenditure affected men and women differently. It makes an attempt to determine who benefited from public expenditure in a gender-disaggregated manner. The study covered four sectors consisting of 18 ministries and 3 agencies/divisions of the government. The scope of the book covers both development and revenue budget. Nation-wide household survey data was collected for undertaking gender disaggregated beneficiary assessment.

The study sheds new light on the equity of distribution of public resources. It highlights the areas where there is need for stronger linkage between governments stated policy objectives and the associated allocation and expenditure of public resources and have, the impacts of public expenditure on the poor male and female. The study recommends a two-pronged approach which addresses gender inequities within government institutions and the institutionalisation of a gender perspective to the budgeting policy.

The work is an original contribution to research in the area of gender studies and should, therefore, project claim to international attention." (jacket)