Though not quite participatory budgeting, the RSA’s new Citizens Economic Council project is certainly inspired by it. In the prospectus for the Citizens Economic Council research was undertaken on PB in Porto Alegre, seen as the founding example of a worldwide phenomena.
The RSA prospectus makes the case for why we need a better and more democratic economic debate and reasons behind the creation of a Citizens’ Economic Council as a vehicle to help achieve it.
It explains why there is a need to increase literacy, accessibility and awareness of economics, a need to promote transparency in the way economics is discussed, a need to strengthen democratic accountability and also a need to promote creativity in economic policy.
The Citizens’ Economic Council is a programme which will give citizens a say on national economic policy, and influence the future of the UK economy.
The Council will be a catalyst for sparking a broader public discussion about the goals and priorities of economic policy, through an open online course and by promoting citizen deliberation over economic policy at events in communities up and down the country. Its aim is to build a stronger economic democracy in the UK through informed engagement and discussion. A group of 50-60 citizens will meet over 2 years on a journey of economic inquiry where they will deliberate and innovate on economic policy.
- Read the prospectus in full
- Find out what the RSA is doing through the Citizens’ Economic Council
- Watch the RSA’s whiteboard video about Economics for Everyone