Fiscal councils as a mechanism for establishing fiscal discipline

Abstract

Under the impact of the global economic crisis, the contemporary budget systems have been subject to extensive reforms. There is a growing number of scholars advocating the establishment of fully independent fiscal institutions which would be in charge of administering a sustainable fiscal policy. The bodies available in hitherto practice are fiscal councils, parliament committees on budgetary control or fiscal 'watchdogs'. The institutionalization of fiscal councils should provide for improving the quality of the public debate on fiscal policy and make the governments more fiscally accountable. The existing fiscal councils generally have an advisory role and they are expected to contribute to strengthening the role of national parliaments in scrutinizing the national budget. In fact, the establishment of fiscal councils ensues only after introducing the fiscal rules which serve as statutory limitations on the activities of the executive branch in the budget-related matters. The current economic crisis has substantially hindered the efficient application of these fiscal restrictions. Some states see the solution in establishing independent fiscal institutions which would control the compliance with these rules. As one of the participants in the budgetary process, fiscal councils are in a position to provide better information to the voters on the current state of affairs in public finances and (thus) increase the political costs of the government's fiscal unaccountability. In practice, there are several models for the organization of fiscal councils which primarily focus on ex ante or ex post review and assessment concerning whether the relevant institutions have observed the fiscal rules and accomplished the fiscal goals. Considering that their role is to eliminate the asymmetry of information in relations between the legislative and executive breach of government, fiscal councils should contribute to reinforcing the legitimacy of the budgetary process and strengthening the fiscal discipline. In the new European fiscal governance framework, these institutions become particularly important in the context of mending the consequences of the current economic crisis. In their hitherto activities, fiscal councils have encountered some difficulties: their competences have been challenged, their assessment and recommendations have been disregarded, and their financial resources (aimed at promoting their activities) have been significantly restricted. Relying on this analysis, we may conclude that the independence and responsibility of fiscal councils largely depends on the government's resolve to be fully accountable in administering a sustainable fiscal policy.