Ronnie Downes

Ronnie Downes is Deputy Head of the Budgeting & Public Expenditures Division, OECD, where he has been responsible for the introduction of OECD Principles of Budgetary Governance and the conduct of country-specific reviews and OECD-wide analysis in the area of public financial management. His current research areas include budgeting for performance and results, effective parliamentary and civic engagement in budgeting, and assessing the impacts of policies on inclusiveness and gender equality. Mr Downes is an Irish national with a background in the Department of Finance and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in Dublin, where he was responsible for budgetary and expenditure management during the crisis period 2008-2012, while also promoting a range of budgetary reforms including performance budgeting, a medium term expenditure framework, systematic policy evaluation  and spending review. He holds a Masters degree in Economics and Policy Studies from Trinity College Dublin, as well as diplomas in Legal Studies and Accounting.