In 2011, PEP was commissioned by UNICEF to lead a new research initiative to analyze the impacts of public spending on children and related fiscal policies in Burkina Faso.
To determine the best possible allocation of their limited resources among education, health, sanitation and other programs that may directly affect the welfare of children, governments need specific information regarding the prospective impacts of their spending, considering the various fiscal alternatives to finance these programs.
Over the years, PEP has developed a unique expertise and sophisticated tools in modeling and microsimulation that, when combined and applied to such policy impact analysis, can provide the evidence base that decision-makers are able to rely on when establishing priorities in program financing and allocation.
In this initial project, that may well usher in a series of similar initiatives in other countries, PEP researchers first apply CGE modeling techniques to simulate the macroeconomic impacts of different fiscal policies resorted to finance social programs. Then, the application of microsimulation techniques allows to determine the more specific impacts of government spending in health, education, sanitation and social welfare programs on the well-being of children in the country.
The main outcomes from this initiative are summarized in the following PowerPoint presentation and described in full in the final research report, published in October 2012 (aussi disponible en français).
The findings have also been presented to policy stakeholders in Burkina Faso and UNICEF representatives in NY - find out more.
Find out more about the various collaborations of PEP with UNICEF for the development of both knowledge and local expertise regarding child welfare issues in developing countries in this special report: Brief on PEP-UNICEF collaborations
