TED Talks Daily How to share public money fairly | Maja Bosnic
Mar 9, 2022
Maja Bosnic, an economist specializing in public finance and gender-responsive budgeting, dives into the importance of equitable public fund allocation. She highlights how systemic gender disparities impact health and education budgets. Through a case study from Bosnia, she reveals biases in agricultural funding that favor men. Bosnic advocates for a comprehensive approach to fiscal planning that accounts for diverse needs, sharing successful examples from nearly 80 countries. Ultimately, she argues that gender-responsive budgeting leads to not just fairness, but improved efficiency in public finance.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Bosnian Agricultural Funds
- In Bosnia, 90% of agricultural funds went to men, despite women also working in the sector.
- This oversight prompted a reevaluation of the funding distribution process.
Homogenous Human Assumption
- Traditional budgets often assume a universal, homogeneous human recipient.
- This oversight can lead to unequal distribution of funds, as seen in the Bosnian agriculture example.
Ukrainian Budget Gaps
- In Ukraine, gender gaps were found in almost 300 budget programs, disproportionately affecting women's access to funds.
- A tuberculosis program, for example, primarily targeted women despite men being the majority of patients.