Members of R4D's governance team returned from Istanbul, Turkey, where last week they co-hosted the Strengthening Institutions program's fourth annual global workshop.

For the past three and a half years the 14 partner organizations have been undertaking rigorous expenditure analyses and are now using their results to develop policy simulations to improve public spending in the health, education, and water sectors in their countries. The three-day workshop provided a platform for the partners to share the preliminary results of their policy simulations and receive feedback from peers and experts in the field.

Partners also presented on some of the exciting impacts already emerging from their studies, including an annual competition developed by the Research Center of the University of the Pacific (Peru) for students and future civil servants to undertake budget accountability research and initiatives by the Center for Research and Communications (Philippines) to formulate guidelines for the water sector with congressional leaders.

For more information, visit the Strengthening Institutions project page.