The author would like to thank: all the country officials who filled in the questionnaire; Marcela Guzman (Ministry of Finance, Chile) and Eija-Leena Linkola (Ministry of Finance, Finland) who worked on earlier versions of the questionnaire while seconded to the OECD; and Sang-In Kim (on secondment from the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs, Korea).

The Commission secures the audit of 32 councils and 44 joint boards and committees (including police and fire and rescue services). Audit Scotland is a statutory body set up in April 2000 under the Public Finance and Accountability (Scotland) Act 2000. It provides services to the Auditor General for Scotland and the Accounts Commission. Together they ensure that the Scottish Government and public sector bodies in Scotland are held to account for the proper, efficient and effective use of public funds.

In June 2003, the Budget Office of the Ministry of Finance of Chile requested the OECD to carry out a review of the Chilean budgeting system in a similar fashion as it does for its member countries. The OECD responded positively to this request, recognising that Chile is an established observer of the OECD Working Party of Senior Budget Officials and recognising the strong interest in the Chilean budgeting system expressed by members of the Working Party.

The Portuguese government has recently undertaken comprehensive structural reforms of the public sector and has successfully reduced its budget deficit. This article explores particular features of the Portuguese budget system and the proposed further reforms, including the adoption of a medium-term expenditure framework and performance budgeting.

Norway is a prosperous country with a healthy economy and a very high standard of living. Norway provides a truly unique example of long-term budgetary planning through its successful management of oil assets by means of the Government Pension Fund – Global. This article examines the annual budget process which is an important factor in the health of Norway’s public finances. The cabinet has a central role in formulating the budget via the annual budget conferences. Parliament has a strong formal position, and the Ministry of Finance has a long tradition of providing objective and unbiased information to Parliament. The article also describes the high degree of managerial flexibility, the system of accountability for results, human resource management, financial management and reporting, the use of performance information, and the role of local and regional governments.