Transparency of the budget process as a prerequisite for financial decentralization in Ukraine

Local governments play an important role in the economic and social development of local services provided to localities. In Jordan, local governments face problems and challenges that impede this development. The purpose of this descriptive study is to investigate the magnitude of challenges faced by local governments using a random sample (251) of mayors and heads of provincial governorates. Qualitative methods with a purposive sample employing twenty in-depth face-to-face interviews were conducted to identify the major challenges. After analyzing data using the SPSS, the study pointed out that the lack of financial resources and the lack of independence of local government in managing local funding is another major challenge. The study revealed that environmental protection was the biggest challenge. Responsiveness and public participation are other challenges faced by local governments. Based on the study results, the recommendation and provision of centralized technical assistance are required to maintain environmental protection. However, capacity building for local employees is a must. The critical financial position of local governments needs to be addressed by re- evaluating the share of funds allocated to local units.

This study examines whether the internal control system moderates the relationship among budget expenditure, government size, legislative size, and audit findings on financial statement disclosure in Indonesia. This is a quantitative study that uses the purposive sampling technique to collect data from 240 local governments in Indonesia. Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) with Smart PLS. The results show that government size, legislative size, and audit findings had a positive and significant effect on financial statement disclosure, whereas budget expenditure does not. In addition, the findings revealed that the internal control system moderates the relationship between government size and legislative size and financial statement disclosure, but not by audit findings. The study contributed to extending the institutional and agency theory that explains these factors toward disclosure in the local government in Indonesia. The findings suggest that Indonesia’s local governments consider potential factors regarding increasing pressure to carry out disclosure of financial statements, as well as increasing the proper disclosure required by applicable Indonesian regulations.

Public procurement has been the subject of research for a long time in the work of scientists from both the economically developed countries and those undergoing the transformation of public finances. Their research comes from different points of view, namely from the essence of the definition, the process of their conduct, the problems of the legislative framework to their effective implementation. In addition, the issue of electronic public procurement, which can greatly enhance the transparency of this process and reduce the level of corruption inherent in this area in all countries without any exception, is becoming increasingly relevant in recent times.
Based on the conducted analysis, the article proposes the definition of the term of public procurement, defines the principles of public procurement as a controlled subject in the electronic environment of their conduct, and systematizes the basic indicators characterizing the effectiveness of public procurement. Based on the Granger causality method, an analysis of efficiency was performed and the basic indicators determining the level of savings in the public procurement system were determined. It is established that the use of Granger causality in changing the amount of savings in the system of public procurement gives only a quantitative characteristic. For a more complete picture quantitative analysis is supplemented with qualitative parameters.