## Key Elements of Strategic Budget Formulation

## Source details

**Canonical URL:** [Key Elements of Strategic Budget Formulation](https://www.imf.org/en/capacity-development/training/icdtc/schedule/sa/2019/bfbpsa19-77)

## Other formats

- [Markdown version](/en/capacity-development/training/icdtc/schedule/sa/2019/bfbpsa19-77/index.md)
- [Structured JSON version](/en/capacity-development/training/icdtc/schedule/sa/2019/bfbpsa19-77/index.json)
- [Bundle manifest](/en/capacity-development/training/icdtc/schedule/sa/2019/bfbpsa19-77/bundle-manifest.json)

## Bibliographic details
- Session: SA 19.77
- Location: New Delhi, India
- Dates: November 18-22, 2019 (1 week)
- Primary language: English

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### Target audience and qualifications
- Target Audience:
  - Officials in finance departments and line ministries responsible for budget formulation, revenue and expenditure estimates, and budget policy documents.
- Qualifications:
  - Participants should have significant experience in fiscal policy formulation, medium-term budgeting, expenditure management, capital budget formulation and drafting budget policy documents.
- Pre-requisites:
  - Participants are encouraged to register for the PFM online course in preparation for this course: https://www.imf.org/en/Capacity-Development/Training/ICDTC/Schedule/OL/2019/PFMxOL19-115

### Course description — substantive coverage
- Strategic budgeting, including:
  - The importance of fiscal policy, fiscal targets and fiscal space
- Medium term budget frameworks, including:
  - Developing aggregate and departmental budget ceilings
- Baseline budget formulation:
  - Definitions and cost drivers
- Budgeting within an aggregate ceiling
- Program and performance information used in budgeting
- Communicating fiscal policy clearly and effectively in budget documents
- The course includes practical examples and exercises

### Course objectives — competencies for participants
- Upon completion participants should be able to:
  - Understand the importance of medium-term macro-fiscal forecasting as an input to strategic budgeting
  - Appreciate distinctions between medium term fiscal frameworks, medium term expenditure frameworks and medium-term budget frameworks
  - Understand techniques used in developing top-down aggregate and bottom-up expenditure ceilings
  - Recognize the importance of developing and examining baselines and using performance information in allocating resources
  - Recognize the importance of clear budget documentation for effective policy communication
  - Apply the principles in their day-to-day work

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## References

- [Core Elements of Banking Supervision (CBS)](https://www.imf.org/en/capacity-development/training/icdtc/schedule/at/2027/cbsat27-10)
- [Advanced Government Finance Statistics (GFS-A)](https://www.imf.org/en/capacity-development/training/icdtc/schedule/ce/2026/gfs-ace26-45)
- [Fiscal Sustainability (FS)](https://www.imf.org/en/capacity-development/training/icdtc/schedule/ce/2026/fsce26-38)
- [Safeguards Assessments of Central Banks (SAC)](https://www.imf.org/en/capacity-development/training/icdtc/schedule/at/2026/sacat26-30)

_Source: https://www.imf.org/en/capacity-development/training/icdtc/schedule/sa/2019/bfbpsa19-77_