Reducing government spending waste does not mean cutting care or abandoning vulnerable groups. Rather, it is a call to seek smart ways to ensure the continuation of essential services while maximizing the effectiveness of every riyal spent. Here in the Kingdom, in conjunction with the Government Expenditure and Projects Efficiency Authority, the central question becomes: How do we utilize resources efficiently without harming those who need them?

In the American experience, specifically in Idaho, leading practices have emerged that can be leveraged locally, as documented by the "Idaho Partners for Good" organization. This experience focused on the idea that the solution isn't austerity, but investing in the non-profit sector, enhancing community solutions, and ensuring both social and financial sustainability.

1. Government Waste... Do We Acknowledge It?

The first step towards reform is acknowledging the problem. Even at the federal level in the United States, President Trump pledged to reduce waste without implying the elimination of services. Data in areas like health, education, and science confirm that many chronic challenges require specialized solutions targeted at specific groups: such as children, the elderly, and the disabled. Therefore, restructuring funding must be precise, not random.

2. Balancing Financial Discipline and Social Impact

It is a mistake to address waste with a broad axe. What we need is a precise scalpel. While spending efficiency is a national necessity, it is crucial that this is done without allowing vulnerable groups to fall off the edge. The Kingdom has in this context a comprehensive institutional framework, notably the National Center for the Development of the Non-Profit Sector, capable of engineering this balance between financial responsibility and social obligation.

3. Don't Cut Funding... Improve Performance

Instead of cutting funding for struggling organizations, why not give them a chance for improvement? Developing leadership, enhancing operational efficiency, and the ability to measure impact can transform a mediocre organization into a leading one. What is needed is improvement, not exclusion.

4. Supporting Local Community Solutions

Local organizations are better able than central agencies to understand their realities. Giving them a leadership role in designing and implementing solutions reduces bureaucracy and increases service reach. Idaho succeeded in using Block Grants and providing greater local flexibility, which can be applied in the Kingdom in sectors such as family empowerment and community development.

5. Building Capacity and Reducing Dependency

Government funding should be a means to build capacity, not a routine cushion. What is needed is support that enhances governance, accelerates income diversification, and reduces long-term dependency on government support.

6. Stimulating Social Investment and Philanthropic Funding

Reducing the size of government does not mean stifling organizations. Rather, incentives for private funding, social entrepreneurship, and impactful investment should be enhanced. Idaho developed an incubating environment for social investors and confirmed that tax incentives (such as expanding donation deductions) can bridge funding gaps. The Kingdom possesses a legal and regulatory framework that makes it a promising environment for this type of investment.

7. Don’t Leave Vulnerable Groups Without Alternatives

Reform does not imply severance. Rather, it should be accompanied by smart transitional support: vocational rehabilitation programs, temporary cash support, transitional housing. The important aspect is to include a comprehensive system: food, housing, and childcare. With this approach, support can be gradually reduced without undermining social security.

8. Reforming Bureaucracy... Not Eternalizing It

Many government programs consume more time and resources on administrative procedures than they create impact. Simplifying procedures, reducing paperwork requirements, and redesigning application and reporting processes—all are necessities to maximize impact. No employee should be entirely consumed just to cover reporting requirements.

9. Technology as a Tool for Transparency and Oversight

Digitization is not a luxury but a lever for transparency, reducing corruption, and enhancing trust. Through smart tracking tools and measuring digital impact, the government and philanthropic funders can ensure that funds are used appropriately.

10. The Equation of the Future: A Smaller Government, a Stronger Non-Profit Sector

Smart reform does not mean reducing people but reducing waste and maximizing impact. Investing in non-profit organizations, supporting community solutions, and providing a flexible and enabling environment is what makes every riyal spent a tool for building a more just and stable nation.

And with Vision 2030's commitment to involving the non-profit sector in the GDP and developing the institutional framework to support it, the opportunity is ripe to redesign the relationship between public money and community good.

Translated with adaptations from:

bloomerang