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What is the GIFT Data Portal?
The GIFT Data Portal is a free, open, and comprehensive platform designed by the Global Initiative for Fiscal Transparency (GIFT) and developed by Datopian. Governments can standardize and publish their fiscal data on this platform, for users to freely access through open-source formats such as CSV and JSON. It is an enabling tool for the High-level Principles of Fiscal Transparency, Participation, and Accountability, that highlight the importance of the right to seek and receive information on fiscal policies, as well as of governments publishing, and reporting progress against clear and measurable fiscal policy objectives.
This tool is also useful for the analysis and better understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including their costing. The SDGs have specific targets, such as those related to poverty eradication, inequality reduction and environmental protection. Governments mobilize a significant number of public resources towards their attainment, however, the details of this are not always available and/or clear. The GIFT Data Portal provides a tool for the publication of this detailed tagged data, data that can be used to better understand how governments are practically aiming to achieve their SDG targets.
In addition, this tool is instrumental for the implementation of SDG 16 which focuses on promoting peaceful and inclusive societies and building effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions. This, by advancing access to information in open formats which promote in depth evidence-based analysis of budget allocations, using efficiency, effectiveness, equity, and integrity considerations, as well as multiplying the entry points for public oversight. It also fosters digital innovation which in turns has a great potential to improve the design, implementation, and evaluation of fiscal policy.
How does it work?
Users can download standardized, open data that they can use to do their own analyses and ask further questions. This enables them to establish contexts and develop knowledge as a basis for evidence-based approaches to inform their work/activities.
To do this, the tool uses GitHub as an engine to operate and manage the information.
Having standardized and open fiscal data is a useful foundation for presenting information in fiscal transparency portals, to construct visualizations or to power up other open data repositories. It also greatly facilitates the provision of the data required for effective emergency fiscal responses.
Who can use this information?
Anyone trying to understand government’s public financial management:
- Officials at all levels of government (ministries of finance, line ministries, subnational governments) who want standardized information for evidence-based decision making and intergovernmental coordination.
- Legislators to explore and timely analyze the executive's fiscal policy, including its budget proposals, assisting them in undertaking their budget approval and oversight roles.
- Auditing institutions toassist them in performing checks related to their audit oversight function.
- Journalists want to know how public sector budgets are structured and to perform in-depth analyses.
- Developers or data scientists create software, apps or tools that organize and present the information extracted from the data in different forms, for example in visualizations or trends.
- Civil society organizations to carry out the timely analyses required to make effective proposals for improvements in the administration of resources.
- International development agencies to comprehensively understand the fiscal policy of governments, as expressed in their budgets.
- Academia and studentsas a basis for their analyses, facilitating innovative, timely, and creative research products.
Be a Fiscal Transparency Champion!
Are you a Minister of Finance representative interested in using this tool?
Do you have creative ideas or examples on how to use the information disclosed?
If you have great data to share and disclose, we can help you do it! It is free of charge!
Contact us: info@fiscaltransparency.net