Saint Petersburg Experience of Participatory Budgeting

Abstract

The article is devoted to summarizing the experience of implementing participatory budgeting practices
 in Saint Petersburg over a five-year period as well as the role and forms of citizen involvement in
 budget decision-making. An innovative form of public discussion, through the participation of citizens
 in the work of the budget commission, allowed one not only to attract a significant number of citizens
 to solve the problems of the metropolis, but also to increase the efficiency of budget fund spending.
 Special attention is paid to the testing of a new type of public participation in the development of
 the urban environment, namely participatory design, one of the effects of which is the possibility
 of attracting extra-budgetary sources of funding. The practice of participatory design is already in
 demand among potential investors and has shown good results in projects aimed at the development
 and improvement of newly built-up areas.
 School participatory budgeting practices were successful as well, in which high school students were
 asked to work out projects not only for the development of school infrastructure, but also that of
 the territory of Saint Petersburg’s districts. The experience gained allowed us to identify the main
 disadvantages and advantages of different practices, which will be taken into account when scaling
 them.