From the Instituting to the Managerial Model. The Participatory Budget Cycle in Rosario, Argentina (2002 -2022)

Abstract

ABSTRACT In 1995, the city of Rosario began its process of decentralization and modernization with a strong commitment to citizen participation. In 2002, Rosario was the first city in Argentina to implement a Participatory Budget (PB 1 ). PB has had, throughout its 20-year cycle of existence, critical moments. In its lethargy, in 2016, it started working in what nowadays is called Neighborhood Councils (NC 2 ). In 2019, the PB was paused. Meanwhile, the NCs are getting stronger. The objective of this article is to review the 20 years of existence of the PB in Rosario and its continuities and ruptures regarding NC and the digitalization of participation. This is diachronic and qualitative research based on interviews with municipal officials and nonparticipant observation of the NCs. It is held as an assumption that participation in the city of Rosario went from an instituting model to a managerial model.