Case study analysis of overcoming regulatory barriers to ensuring transparency in the sphere of budget funds

This study examined mechanisms for overcoming regulatory barriers to ensuring transparency in the sphere of budget funds, an issue that is becoming particularly relevant in the context of global transformations of the public administration system and increasing requirements for the transparency of public finances. The research methodology was based on a systematic approach, employing comparative analysis of regulatory and legal acts from five countries (USA, India, Indonesia, Poland, Ukraine) over the period 1993-2024, utilising internationally recognised Open Budget Index indicators from the International Budget Partnership. The main results of the study revealed three groups of regulatory barriers of a legislative nature. The first group consists of gaps in legal regulation, in particular the lack of unified quantitative indicators for assessing transparency and insufficient detailing of requirements for disclosing information on the implementation of budget programmes. The second group is formed by inconsistencies in legal norms between different legislative acts regarding the terms and formats of the publication of budget information. The third group includes the absence of clear sanctions and effective mechanisms of liability for violations of budget transparency requirements. A comparative analysis of the legislation of the studied countries revealed that the most effective regulatory frameworks are those of the USA and Poland, where legislative acts establish clear requirements for the formats and terms of data publication, ensure the standardisation of budget reporting, and establish effective mechanisms of liability for violations of transparency requirements. The practical significance of the study lies in the development of comprehensive recommendations for improving the regulatory framework of Ukraine by strengthening liability for violations of transparency requirements, optimising administrative procedures for access to information, implementing common standards of open data, ensuring a clear division of powers between controlling bodies, and developing mechanisms of public participation to increase the transparency of budget processess