Conference Agenda

In 2007 Belgium became one of the first countries to legislate for gender budgeting. This appeared to signal a genuine political commitment to gender equality as women’s parliamentary representation steadily increased, culminating in gender-equal cabinets and the first women prime minister. Policy priorities have included significantly reducing the gender pay gap. However, the scope of gender budgeting continues to be limited and any effects seem to be modest at best, and with no signs of improvement. While various gender budgeting tools exist, Belgium has only been using one—ex ante gender impact assessment—and only in relation to a relatively small part of the federal budget based on binary gender. Among the other five federated entities, progress is even more deficient. More encouragingly, the dedicated federal agency, known in English as the Institute for the equality of women and men has been evaluating the implementation of gender budgeting biannually, in addition to establishing a network of ambassadors across the civil service and providing ongoing training. This study draws upon these evaluation reports, as well as budget data, and interviews with key civil servants to consider whether and to what extent gender budgeting in Belgium needs to be substantially redesigned, or whether and to what extent Belgium’s complicated administrative structure and tenuous political dynamics presents greater challenges that would inhibit future implementation of a new approach. How did a once pioneering country in Europe stall?

Cognitive sciences reveal that human decisions are often influenced by factors such as biases, heuristics, and social norms. Consequently, individuals may be encouraged to change their behaviour by altering their reference point, regardless of any cost-benefit consideration. Over the past decade, this understanding has elevated the significance of behaviour modification in public policy, leading to the development of interventions known as «nudges».

The notion of «nudge», as introduced by R. Thaler and C. Sunstein, refers to subtle interventions that influence people’s behaviour without restricting their freedom of choice. Unlike traditional command and control mechanisms – which ensure compliance through explicit obligations, prohibitions and enforcement measures – and market-oriented instruments – which adjust incentives and costs to influence behaviour –, nudging offers a less intrusive and more flexible way to guide decision-making towards what is considered most advantageous. In fact, by employing nudges, public administrations can guide individuals towards preferred outcomes, aligning personal choices with policy objectives, either consciously or unconsciously.

Nudge has also been examined within administrative legal doctrine, highlighting how it can assist public administrations in formulating more effective policies, enhancing citizen engagement, and increasing the efficiency of public governance.

In the perspective of this paper, public administrations can use nudge to promote social inclusion and, inter alia, equal treatment among women and men. For this reason, the paper explores the potential of nudging as a tool for supporting public administrations to advance gender equality policies, focusing on its advantages, especially when combined with the aforementioned conventional regulatory approaches.

Furthermore, the paper aims to shift from theory to practice by presenting practical examples of nudges in the field of gender equality policies.

For instance, public administrations can influence citizens’ behaviour through the strategic use of inclusive language or social clauses in public procurement. Additionally, within the workplace, public administrations can implement automatic parental leave policies for fathers or send reminders about gender equality training sessions, in order to encourage employee participation and awareness.

In conclusion, the paper examines those instruments that can encourage public actors to incorporate gender equality into the policy-making process, aligning with the strategic approach of gender mainstreaming. Although tools like gender impact analysis, gender auditing, and gender budgeting do not strictly fit the definition of «nudges» as theorized by Thaler and Sunstein, they can serve as effective mechanisms to guide legislators and public administrations toward more equitable decision-making.

Purpose – This study investigates the human resource management (HRM) practices of 12 Italian water utilities, with a specific focus on their alignment with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5, which aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. The water sector is particularly relevant for this analysis due to its traditionally low levels of female representation and its strategic role in ensuring sustainable development and public value.

Design/methodology/approach – Using a qualitative document analysis methodology, the study examines all Italian water utilities that currently publish a sustainability report in compliance with Directive 2014/95/EU. The analysis is based on the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework, particularly focusing on indicators related to diversity and equal opportunity (e.g., GRI 405), and explores how gender equality is integrated into HRM policies and sustainability strategies.

Findings – The sample includes utilities that are highly representative of the multifaceted nature of the Italian water sector. It encompasses small, single-utility companies as well as large, listed multi-utilities that serve millions of inhabitants. The ownership structure also varies: some companies are fully public, others are majority public, and others are majority private. The sample covers all geographical areas of Italy – North, Center, and South – allowing the study to capture how factors such as size, ownership and governance structure, and regional context (including stakeholder pressures) influence gender equality strategies and reporting practices. While some companies offer limited or generic disclosures, others demonstrate strong commitment by publishing separate gender reports and embedding equality objectives deeply within their corporate strategies.

Originality/value – This study contributes to the limited literature on gender equality practices in the water utility sector, highlighting how organizational characteristics and territorial contexts shape the adoption and communication of HRM policies. It offers a nuanced understanding of how SDG 5 is translated into practice across different organizational realities within a strategic public service sector.

Practical implications – The findings provide actionable insights for utilities and policymakers aiming to promote workplace gender equality. The identification of best practices – such as the publication of gender-specific reports – serves as a benchmark for other companies in the sector and beyond, supporting the development of inclusive and transparent governance models.

Social implications – Promoting gender equality in essential service sectors like water utilities is not only a matter of social justice but a driver of innovation, resilience, and broader societal well-being. Empowering women in decision-making roles enhances organizational sustainability and contributes to achieving multiple interconnected SDGs.

Gender budgeting has become a key priority for the European Union and it is seen as a driver able to attract diverse talent and ensure that everyone can realize their full potential (European Commission, 2021). It can be defined as the integration of gender perspectives into all stages of the budgetary process (UN Women, 2020) and it has gained prominence on the agendas of international organizations, with the aim to improve indicators, budget decisions, revenues, expenditures, and aid-related policies (Llaftiu and Shuli, 2024; Sharp and Elson, 2008). Despite its growing relevance at international level, the adoption and impact of gender budget at the local level turn out to be unexplored: this study aims to fill this gap. Local municipalities are responsible for the provision of several services that affect every-day life, such as public transportation, education, housing, and urban planning, where budget decisions can produce gender-differentiated effects. In Italy, gender budgeting was introduced as a voluntary practice through Law 196/2009, resulting in limited national enforcement, with specific regional and municipal governments that have started to implement gender budgeting initiatives independently. Combining qualitative and quantitative approaches, the analysis is focused on assessing the degree of institutionalization of gender budgeting practices across a selected sample of municipalities in Italy. From a theoretical point of view, the study contributes to foster and enlarge the debate on gender-responsive public policies, while the practical implications of this study regard the identification of the state of the art of gender equality in the Italian local municipality, and the provision of recommendations to ensure effectiveness and sustainability of gender budgeting at the municipal level.

People, in general, have a different perspective and perception about persons who deviate

from the normality. Non-conformance to the normative standards, almost invariably, leads

to non-acceptance of and discrimination against people who deviate from the socially

established norms. Transgender persons constitute one such vulnerable category, deviating

from the normal gender binary that need to be given protection.

Concern for transgender persons - a community of concerns for governments- have moved to

the centre stage of public agenda. Their developmental concerns can no longer be ignored or

brushed aside any longer. They, as a community, have waited too long for too many of their

legitimate rights and associated privileges. They in fact, constitute a core constituency of

vulnerable people, who cannot be left behind in our move towards the Sustainable

Development Goals 2030. The former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon had appropriately

noted:

There are seventeen Sustainable Development Goals all based on a single, guiding principle: to leave

no one behind. We will only realize this vision if we reach all people regardless of their sexual

orientation or gender identity (UN, 2015).

In India, the transgender community is one of the most marginalised communities. For

decades, the community has struggled for acceptance and equality. In 2014, their hard fought

battles led to a milestone victory when India's apex Court finally recognized transgender

people as a "third gender" with rights and privileges of a dignified human kind. With the

enactment of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act 2019, albeit several of its

provisions being contested even by the transgender community, the welfare of the

transgender persons has assumed priority in the agenda of many state governments and this

legal recognition meant an entry to an untraversed world as being themselves.

With the enactment of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act 2019, albeit

several of its provisions being contested even by the transgender community, the welfare of

the transgender persons has assumed priority in the agenda of many state governments such

as Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Taking

cognisance of the landmark judgment of 2014, the state of Odisha with a total transgender

population of approximately 70,000 (Census 2011) ventured into chalking out a framework

to empower this disempowered community and in fact, is the first region in India to give

transgender people social welfare benefits. These benefits are aimed at improving their

overall social and economic status, usually allocated for only the most impoverished.

Government of Odisha has introduced several innovative programmes by relevant

Departments with a view to bringing this community from the periphery to the centre.

These initiatives have further been strengthened by the unique endeavours of the state -

Municipal Corporations of the twin city of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack with an objective to

empower the community and strengthen their livelihood have roped in the members of the

community to collect parking fees at parking lots, to collect holding taxes and for

management and disposal of construction debris etc.; the Department of Mission Shakti has

roped in the members of the transgender community for effective waste management in

urban local bodies; appointment of the members of the community as security personnel in

hospitals after due training, giving them the Below Poverty Line status. Many such

initiatives have given a new lease of life to the members of the transgender community.

These measures would not only empower the community economically but also pave the

way for creation of a dignified space for them bridging the gulf between them and the

society. The very uncertain journey of life of the community could be transformed into

certainty, wherein the unused human capital would not go waste anymore. However, these

scattered initiatives may not create a long-term secure ecosystem for them. Against this

backdrop, the present paper explores the innovative measures taken up by the state

government (government of Odisha, India) through social entrepreneurship schemes for

empowering and creating a new identity for the transgender community and the challenges

encountered by them and how can this social entrepreneurial ecosystem for the community

be a long-term solution to the problem they encounter premised on a robust foundation of

financial empowerment which is an exemplar for the rest of the world.