Power and Positionality in Participatory Budgeting

Abstract

There have been few analyses that discuss how power relations present in participatory budgeting (PB) may hinder or facilitate the future of PB. Drawing from PB examples in the United States we discuss the importance of power and positionality analyses during PB stages with the most deliberative participation for community members: forming steering committees, holding local assemblies, and selecting budgets. We discuss power struggles that stem from the lack of transparency in establishing budgets and representing implicated actors in communities. We discuss the importance of analyzing the positionality of municipal actors and community members throughout the life of PB projects. The paper ends by suggesting lessons that future PB initiatives can glean from community-based participatory research (CBPR) in public health, specifically, engaging in co-learning processes, capacity building among all partners, and the equitable distribution of resources between communities. These CBPR principles may facilitate countering narratives about community participation and foment institutional change in the ways local jurisdictions allocate PB budgets and prioritize policy agendas.