The Center for Economic Analyses (CEA) was engaged and successfully implemented activities within the framework of the “Integrity Driven Communities ” project. This initiative is managed by the National Democratic Institute (NDI), with financial support from the governments of Switzerland and Sweden.
CEA was commissioned as an expert organization by NDI to conduct Baseline Assessments for Public Finance Management (PFM) in six pilot municipalities: Bitola, Bogovinje, Gazi Baba, Kumanovo, Shtip, and Strumica.
To ensure precise, objective, and applicable findings for the local self-governments, we applied a triangulation methodology, executing the process in three key phases:
- Assessment: We identified current practices in PFM, conducting a detailed review of the institutional setup and performance in key local competencies over the past few years.
- Analysis: We conducted an in-depth evaluation of corruption risks at the systemic, institutional, and individual levels.
- Formulation: We developed structured recommendations and guidelines to mitigate risks and improve management efficiency.
CEA’s activities involved direct and intensive engagement with stakeholders through:
- Administering structured questionnaires covering the entire budget cycle.
- Conducting on-site interviews with representatives of the local self-governments.
- Performing detailed reviews and verification of official documents and transparency tools.
The process concluded with validation workshops, where we co-confirmed the findings with the municipalities and defined the priority recommendations.
The findings prepared by CEA provide insights into systemic challenges (such as planning gaps, fragmented risk management, and human resource constraints). These reports can serve as a valuable tool for municipalities to strengthen the resilience of local systems against corruption and to create concrete action plans for reform.
