The Budget Committee of the Althingi parliament had given the Icelandic Regional Development Institute the task of evaluating the social consequences of public service cutbacks following the economic collapse.
The impact of the budget bills 2009-2011, which reflect the government’s economic policy, will be looked at specifically, Fréttabladid reports.
The Budget Committee’s chair Oddný G. Hardardóttir said the evaluation marks new and well-thought-through work methods. “These social effects must be evaluated and the conclusions will be taken into consideration while making the 2012 budget bill.”
However, she stressed that this move does not indicate that the budget committee believes cutbacks have been undertaken at random and without considering their effects until now, but: “they cannot be evaluated before they can based on experience.”
Internationally recognized measuring tools for cost and utilization analysis will be used. The evaluation will be based on cost, revenue, manpower, employment, education, transport and other factors. Habitation, gender issues and institutional developments will also be taken into consideration.
The Regional Development Institute has on earlier occasions looked into the effects of cutbacks on certain regions.
Click here to read more about the 2011 budget bill.
