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About the Budgeting practices for health dataset

Welcome to the OECD Dataset on budgeting practices for health. This dataset contains the results of the 2013 OECD survey of budget officials on budgeting practices for health, which aims at shedding light on the different institutional frameworks, and the instruments available to control health care expenditure in OECD countries. The survey was conducted within the context of the OECD Senior Budget Officials-Health Officials Joint Network on the Fiscal Sustainability of Health Systems (OECD SBO-Health Joint Network). The survey was answered by 27 OECD countries and six sub-national governments (Canadian provinces). The dataset provides information on the following matters:

  1. Role of health in the budget process;
  2. Policies used by budget agencies to influence health spending;
  3. Decision-making by budget agencies; and
  4. The challenges of budgeting for health in decentralised contexts.

The information held in the database is made available free of charge. However, the data are protected by copyright and we request that you be sure to cite the OECD as the source (OECD Database on Budgeting practices for health). Furthermore, to help us track the impact, we would appreciate receiving electronic copies of any papers that cite the database, to be sent to the following address: gov.budgetdata@oecd.org

About its questionnaire

The content of the database was collected using an online questionnaire and glossary was also provided. The Budgeting and Public Expenditures Division of the OECD Directorate for Public Governance Territorial Development conducted this survey in the second semester of 2013. Comments were sought from the WHO, the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and selected country officials before this was put to countries. The survey was submitted in to officials working in Central Budget Authorities who focus on health issues. Policy documents, guidelines, and regulatory reference documents complemented the information base and were analysed when available. The results were discussed at a workshop of budget officials held in January 2014 and at the OECD SBO-Health Joint Network on Fiscal Sustainability of Health Systems in April 2014.

The Fiscal Sustainability of Health Systems OECD report presents further analysis and more detailed results of the survey.