Introduction to Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA)

Every country faces the challenge of how to use public resources effectively and efficiently. Without responsive public financial management (PFM), governments will find it difficult to use public funds to deliver essential services or focus on their long-term goals. How can countries’ PFM be evaluated in a way that supports inclusive, sustainable development?

With a PEFA framework, we can assess and understand the strengths and weaknesses of a country’s PFM system and use this information to support improvements. PEFA assessment framework has become the gold standard in assessing PFM performance – with over 600 assessments done in over 150 countries around the world at all income levels.

This course will provide an introduction to the PEFA Framework, how to understand and use it, and the process involved. The course also presents examples, offers guidance documents and background material. Participants will be invited to complete quizzes to test their understanding throughout the course. Participants will receive a course completion certificate after successfully completing the final quiz.

Module 1: Introducing PEFA

Public financial management (PFM) is about how countries organize and manage public resources, revenue, and expenditure, to pursue sustainable development. The PEFA program provides a framework to assess a country’s PFM performance which allows governments to identify the strengths and weaknesses and undertake reform. This eLearning module will explain how improving PFM helps countries to support sustainable development, what the PEFA Program is, and the role the PEFA framework.

Module 2: What is PEFA Framework

The PEFA Framework is a tool for assessing PFM performance. It helps governments understand their PFM systems and design and implement country-specific reform programs to improve their performance. This eLearning module will help you understand what the PEFA framework is, its key concepts and principles; and how it can be used to support governments to assess their PFM systems.

Module 3: How to Apply the PEFA Framework

The PEFA Framework is composed by 7 pillars of performance, 31 indicators, and 94 dimensions. Each dimension is scored, A to D, which identifies different levels of alignment with international good practices. The better the alignment with international standards, the better the performance of a country´s PFM system. This eLearning module will explain how to use indicators and dimensions to evaluate PFM performance.

Module 4: Managing a PEFA Assessment

The PEFA framework has become the recognized standard for assessing PFM performance. A well-planned process that involves all key stakeholders is essential for efficient completion of a comprehensive, evidence-based PEFA assessment. This eLearning module will show you how the standard PEFA assessment follows a ten-step process.