From 44b37e27d918330d7b5a7e8b8d942b0ea47e387d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Michael Polidori Date: Tue, 13 Jun 2023 15:20:48 -0400 Subject: [PATCH 1/2] Add Moers Anomaly story --- .../content/stories/moers-anomaly-2016.mdx | 284 ++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 284 insertions(+) create mode 100644 examples/openspending/content/stories/moers-anomaly-2016.mdx diff --git a/examples/openspending/content/stories/moers-anomaly-2016.mdx b/examples/openspending/content/stories/moers-anomaly-2016.mdx new file mode 100644 index 00000000..9ad9e5e0 --- /dev/null +++ b/examples/openspending/content/stories/moers-anomaly-2016.mdx @@ -0,0 +1,284 @@ +--- +title: An Exploration of Moers' 2016 Budget Anomaly +date: 06/13/2023 +--- + +_Note: The currency in this post has been converted to USD using an average exchange rate of 1 EUR = 1.20 USD. +Additionally, the text values for account groups have been loosely translated to English. You can find the +original dataset here: [Moers budget dataset](https://www.openspending.org/@os-data/moers-all)_ + +In the fiscal landscape of Moers, Germany, 2016 stands out as an anomaly. An examination of the budget allocations +for this particular year shows a significant surge in spending across various areas. After this anomalous +spike, spending patterns then seemed to resume their previous trajectory of a slow, steady climb in the +following years. While it's tempting to dismiss this as an irregularity, it's worth exploring the potential +underlying causes of this fiscal fluctuation. + + + +## Why? + +One possible explanation could be the global refugee crisis that was unfolding around this time, particularly +in Germany. While we can't assert this connection definitively due to the lack of specific data, it's an angle +worth examining to better understand the budget anomaly of 2016. + +For instance, the "Donations and General Levies" account group saw a distinct increase in 2016. This could be +reflective of Moers' attempts to provide immediate support to incoming refugees, although we can only speculate +at this point. + + + +Similarly, "Expenses for Material and Services" also experienced an upswing. This could suggest +that the town was working to establish necessary infrastructure and resources for the newcomers. It's plausible +that procurement of essential supplies and services to aid the refugees was a factor contributing to this budget +increase. + +The rise in "Personnel Expenses" may suggest an expansion of the town's workforce during this period. Additional +staffing in areas like interpretation, social work, healthcare, and administration would be necessary to handle +the influx of refugees. + +The two account groups that experienced the most substantial raw monetary increases were "Taxes and Similar Charges" +and "Transfer Expenses". Both these categories more than doubled in size during the year, a significant surge +especially considering their already high baseline spending. This could be for a variety of reasons. + +For "Taxes and Similar Charges", the hike could indicate the town adjusting local taxation to meet the additional +expenditures, or it could reflect an increase in income from other sources falling under this group. The influx +of refugees and the resulting uptick in economic activity may have also led to a rise in the collection of certain +local taxes or fees. + +Concurrently, the "Transfer Expenses" spike could be an indication of heightened social welfare payments, costs +associated with refugee integration, and funds transferred to other entities managing the crisis. These financial +escalations are a testament to the extensive and multifaceted financial impact the refugee crisis had on the town's +budget. + + + +By 2017, these budget items returned to their pre-2016 levels, which may suggest that the town had successfully +adapted to the new circumstances, perhaps by implementing more cost-effective strategies. + +While this exploration offers a compelling perspective, it's important to note that these are theories derived +from the available budget data and the concurrent global events of the time. It underscores how global crises, +like the refugee crisis, may potentially impact not just national budgets, but also the fiscal management of +smaller towns like Moers. From 32493a20145bf06b4f1b8ea96328c2606c282ca7 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: =?UTF-8?q?Jo=C3=A3o=20Demenech?= Date: Tue, 13 Jun 2023 19:00:00 -0300 Subject: [PATCH 2/2] [openspending,stories][xs]: fix data url --- .../content/stories/moers-anomaly-2016.mdx | 36 +++++++++---------- 1 file changed, 18 insertions(+), 18 deletions(-) diff --git a/examples/openspending/content/stories/moers-anomaly-2016.mdx b/examples/openspending/content/stories/moers-anomaly-2016.mdx index 9ad9e5e0..40476d73 100644 --- a/examples/openspending/content/stories/moers-anomaly-2016.mdx +++ b/examples/openspending/content/stories/moers-anomaly-2016.mdx @@ -3,8 +3,8 @@ title: An Exploration of Moers' 2016 Budget Anomaly date: 06/13/2023 --- -_Note: The currency in this post has been converted to USD using an average exchange rate of 1 EUR = 1.20 USD. -Additionally, the text values for account groups have been loosely translated to English. You can find the +_Note: The currency in this post has been converted to USD using an average exchange rate of 1 EUR = 1.20 USD. +Additionally, the text values for account groups have been loosely translated to English. You can find the original dataset here: [Moers budget dataset](https://www.openspending.org/@os-data/moers-all)_ In the fiscal landscape of Moers, Germany, 2016 stands out as an anomaly. An examination of the budget allocations @@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ underlying causes of this fiscal fluctuation. title: 'Spending by Account Group', description: 'Spending by Account Group', data: { - url: 'https://gist.githubusercontent.com/mpolidori/6148c2a6a669194d5955a30f4605f756/raw/8df7fda117dce5d62b94738b65cbe7153a4c2378/moers-sums.csv', + url: 'https://storage.openspending.org/moers-all/moers-sums.csv', }, transform: [ { @@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ at this point. title: 'Donations and General Levies', description: 'Donations and General Levies', data: { - url: 'https://gist.githubusercontent.com/mpolidori/6148c2a6a669194d5955a30f4605f756/raw/8df7fda117dce5d62b94738b65cbe7153a4c2378/moers-sums.csv', + url: 'https://storage.openspending.org/moers-all/moers-sums.csv', }, transform: [ { filter: "datum['account group']==='Donations And General Levies'" }, @@ -179,18 +179,18 @@ The rise in "Personnel Expenses" may suggest an expansion of the town's workforc staffing in areas like interpretation, social work, healthcare, and administration would be necessary to handle the influx of refugees. -The two account groups that experienced the most substantial raw monetary increases were "Taxes and Similar Charges" -and "Transfer Expenses". Both these categories more than doubled in size during the year, a significant surge +The two account groups that experienced the most substantial raw monetary increases were "Taxes and Similar Charges" +and "Transfer Expenses". Both these categories more than doubled in size during the year, a significant surge especially considering their already high baseline spending. This could be for a variety of reasons. -For "Taxes and Similar Charges", the hike could indicate the town adjusting local taxation to meet the additional -expenditures, or it could reflect an increase in income from other sources falling under this group. The influx -of refugees and the resulting uptick in economic activity may have also led to a rise in the collection of certain +For "Taxes and Similar Charges", the hike could indicate the town adjusting local taxation to meet the additional +expenditures, or it could reflect an increase in income from other sources falling under this group. The influx +of refugees and the resulting uptick in economic activity may have also led to a rise in the collection of certain local taxes or fees. -Concurrently, the "Transfer Expenses" spike could be an indication of heightened social welfare payments, costs -associated with refugee integration, and funds transferred to other entities managing the crisis. These financial -escalations are a testament to the extensive and multifaceted financial impact the refugee crisis had on the town's +Concurrently, the "Transfer Expenses" spike could be an indication of heightened social welfare payments, costs +associated with refugee integration, and funds transferred to other entities managing the crisis. These financial +escalations are a testament to the extensive and multifaceted financial impact the refugee crisis had on the town's budget.