Archon Fung of Harvard University is one of the leading academics in the field of participatory democracy, and in a newly published article doesn’t pull his punches, calling many participatory programmes running worldwide PB-Lite… a form of decaffeinated politics, that are missing some essential ingredients. Fung believes "Social justice receded from the agenda of participatory… Read More
International
What's happening in Participatory Budgeting internationally
Backroom knowledge and support is critical says USA experiences of PB
In a new article about the City of Cambridge (USA) PB programme, that saw $600,000 distributed last year the focus was on the role that city officials and community budget delegates play in refining ideas before they get on the ballot. This follows some controversy that half the money distributed last year went on one… Read More
Milan is first Italian city to use PB… and it starts at 9m euro for youth
The mayor of Milan, Giuliano Pisapia, is seeking the advice of teenagers to decide how to allocate 9 million euros (10 million dollars‘) worth of the city‘s budget, as part of a new grassroots democracy scheme. Milan is the first Italian city to engage in participatory budgeting, a process spearheaded in Brazil in the late… Read More
Participatory democracy video explores the power of active citizens worldwide
Open Society Foundations supports Goal 16 of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, which could enable citizens to create more a inclusive society through participatory democracy. In this short video they explore why participatory democracy matters, and how participatory budgeting fits into the story. Exploring PB initiatives around the USA, from Boston Youth lead the change… Read More
Academy of Urbanism on participatory budgeting as aid to urban development
The Academy of Urbanism is well used to reporting on the innovations that bring about an urban renaissance. In an article by Katy Hawkins the Academy now looks at participatory budgeting (PB) in the USA, the UK and more widely. Following exciting developments in PB in Paris, where PB is being used to spend €426m… Read More
Argentina’s national Programme for Participatory Budgeting
Participatory budgeting (PB) is generally concerned with the devolution of powers to the local, neighbourhood or citizen level. There are obviously some real challenges at operating a direct participatory democracy at a national level. Though there are some calls, not least from the PB Network for the principle of 1% of all national government expenditure… Read More
Tunisia is re-building democracy through Participatory Budgeting
Tunisia has been in the news recently for all the wrong reasons, including a horrific terrorist attack on the beach, in which many British citizens were killed. However the Arab Spring of 2011 sparked a change of government and the story of Tunisian democracy is not all bad. In a detailed blog and interview there… Read More
Iceland adopts participatory democracy over austerity as its solution to the banking crisis… and it works
Iceland was one of the worst hit countries of the international banking crisis of 2008, with many of its major banks bankrupted. Since then, whilst going through some hard times it has been recognised as bouncing back. Participatory democracy, including forms of participatory budgeting, has been at the core of its strategy to re-engage citizens… Read More
Boston engaging thousands of young people in democracy
The City of Boston is making history for a second consecutive year as the city has allocated $1,000,000 of Boston’s capital funds for the youth to spend as they see fit! This process is called Youth Lead the Change: Participatory Budgeting Boston. Participatory Budgeting in Boston started with a series of public events in January,… Read More
Another City is possible! Alternatives to the city as a commodity.
Yves Cabannes and Cecilia Delgado published Another City is possible! Alternatives to the city as a commodity. Their central argument is that "PB is the practice that connects best with other alternatives to radically transform the way cities are ill produced and achieve systemic changes. PB seems the most promising avenue that leads to “another… Read More