Participatory Budgeting
Participatory Budgeting allows citizens to influence the spending of public money by submitting proposals for budget consolidation as well as expenditures.
Level of participation
Ideation
Co-Decision
Duration of participation process
Preparation: Several months for extensive planning.
Implementation: Several months
Follow-up: Several months for implementing the project
Target group size
>1000 people
Costs
$$$
Human resources needed
At least three people for organization and facilitation of the process
The method: what is it, when to use it and what outcome to expect
This format is used to give citizens the opportunity to submit proposals on a defined area of the municipal budget or on the general budget. It aims at directly involving citizens in budgeting decisions.
Citizens receive detailed information on municipal income, expenditure and obligations in the municipal budget and can then submit proposals for the next budget. Depending on the focus of the participatory budget, the aim is either to gather ideas and variants for budget consolidation or to submit proposals for potential new expenditure.
In the end, the city or municipal council decides which of these recommendations will be implemented and the population is informed about the decision.
This format enables the inclusion of ideas and needs from the population in budget allocation. It generally results in greater confidence in local politics and administration.
The process: how to conduct it in an in-person setting or online using a PC/laptop with video option
- Preparation: Provide citizens with material to help them find out about the state of the budget so far. Inform citizens with a clear guideline on how the participatory budgeting works (timeline, eligibility criteria, rules etc.). Citizens need to obtain relevant information on the topic of interest in order to inform their decision. You need to promote the information through various communication channels in order to reach as many citizens as possible.
- Consultation: Invite citizens to provide Ideas either online (through a platform) or face-to-face (during dedicated meetings). Leave enough time for citizens to comment and discuss the ideas. It can be the object of several workshops. The citizens develop concrete proposals and select few proposals by voting which are then to be handed over to the city.
- Evaluation: The city examines the proposals, focusing among other things, on their relevance, costs and feasibility against the allocated budget. The city can also rely on external experts to help with the evaluation. The city decides if and which proposal(s) to accept and implement. In this stage, you need to make sure that the methodology to select the projects is robust and clearly communicated to the population.
- Implementation: The citizens are informed about which proposal(s) will be implemented. Citizens can continue asking questions and request information of the projects’ status.
Blended participation
It could also include interactive online-approaches such as live Q&A sessions with the city or municipal council members. During the consultation and evaluation stages, an online platform can allow for proposal submission, moderated discussion, commenting opportunities and vote for proposals and ideas.
Digital communication
- During the implementation stage an online platform can serve as a communication and monitoring tool.
- Platforms: adhocracy or Consul, as Stanford BP
Good to know
- Participatory budgeting is open to
all people interested in shaping public spending in
their city or municipality. - Participants have to be
residents of the city or municipality whose budget is discussed. - As the cooperation with the municipality is necessary, do not hesitate to rely on its communication channels to promote the process.
- If you do it online, be sure to select a platform that can also be used by the municipal administration