E-Learning on Public Finance for Social Protection Analysts

5 October - 20 November 2020 Many countries across the globe are increasingly recognising the contribution that social protection systems make to sustainable economic and social development. Yet a central challenge remains how to finance such systems in in the context of a diverse array of other priorities for government spending at a national level. By bringing together the worlds of public finance and of social protection, this course aimed to equip social protection and public finance practitioners with the practical skills to assess financing options for social protection and develop tailored country financing plans. OBJECTIVES Through this training, participants should have acquired the knowledge to: • Assess the public finance context in terms of revenue collection, government expenditure and the Public Financial Management (PFM) cycle • Develop a compelling business case for investment in social protection in the context of the national budget cycle • Produce costed medium-term plans outlining core priorities for social protection system expansion and reform CONTENT • Taxation and revenue collection: trends and policy choices • The Public Financial Management (PFM) cycle • Reading and assessing national budgets, including classifying and interpreting social protection expenditure • Assessment of social protection gaps • Contribution financing of social protection • Costing tax-financed social protection schemes • Creation of fiscal space for social protection • Assessing value for money • The political economy of social protection financing • Development of medium term financing strategies While the course covered some exploration of contribution finance of social protection, the focus was on schemes financed by general revenues. ACHIEVEMENT The course consisted of a number of online modules offered through the eCampus over a period of seven weeks for an estimated total of 100 learning hours. The assessment structure included the following elements: • Technical Forum (20%) • Assignments (30%) • Collaborative activities (10%) • Final presentation (20%) • Technical memo (20%)