Participatory Budgeting Research Articles

Discipline and Punish: A Study Exploring the Adoption of NPM-Inspired Accounting Reforms in the Provincial Governments in the Solomon Islands

This presentation aims to illustrate part of my findings which capture the adoption of New Public Management (NPM)-inspired reforms at the provincial government level in the Solomon Islands. The overall aim of the study was to examine the adoption of two NPM-inspired accounting reforms (cash-based IPSAS – or International Public Sector Accounting Standards – and performance-based budgeting) and a participatory budgeting system in the Solomon Islands. The paucity of attention given to Public Sector Accounting Research (PSAR) in socio-cultural settings in developing countries motivated this study. Drawing on Foucault’s disciplinary power (Foucault, 1977) the study demonstrated how accounting as a ‘calculative infrastructure’ was able to transform the provincial governments in the Solomon Islands. The study applies the interpretive methodology that integrates with a critical theory to interpret the data (Chua, 1986b; Power & Laughlin, 1992). A total of 60 semi-structured interviews were held at both levels of government (national and provincial). Documents were also gathered, including historical data. Thematic analysis was employed and was guided by Foucault’s principles of critical interpretation. The presentation concludes by highlighting how accounting as a ‘calculative infrastructure’ plays an instrumental role in mediating conflict between political groups. In doing so, the study supports prior calls for an in-depth analysis of neoliberal reforms such as those inspired by the NPM in order to better understand the manifold implications of accounting in a wider social context.

Participatory Budgeting's Impact on Managerial Performance: The Mediating Role of Goal Commitment

This study investigates the relationship between participatory budgeting and managerial performance, with a focus on the mediating role of goal commitment. Utilizing purposive sampling, data was collected from 65 respondents via Google Forms and analyzed using the Outer Model to assess data validity and reliability. Subsequently, the Inner Model was employed to test hypotheses through SmartPLS 3.0. Results indicate a significant influence of participatory budgeting on both managerial performance and goal commitment. However, goal commitment was found to have no direct impact on managerial performance, and it did not mediate the relationship between participatory budgeting and managerial performance. This research underscores the importance of participatory budgeting in enhancing managerial performance while highlighting the need for further exploration of the mechanisms underlying this relationship.
 Highlights:
 
 
 Participatory budgeting's significant influence: This study uncovers the substantial impact of participatory budgeting on managerial performance.
 
 
 Role of goal commitment: It examines the role of goal commitment as a mediating factor in the participatory budgeting and managerial performance relationship.
 
 
 Implications for organizational effectiveness: The research highlights implications for organizations aiming to enhance their effectiveness through participatory budgeting strategies.
 
 
 Keywords: Participatory budgeting, Managerial performance, Goal commitment, Mediation, Organizational effectiveness

COVID-19 and participatory budgeting in North Macedonia and Slovakia

COVID-19 and participatory budgeting in North Macedonia and Slovakia

Significance of the Participatory Budget in Supporting Green Infrastructure

Significance of the Participatory Budget in Supporting Green Infrastructure

주민참여예산제와 숙의 민주주의의 연계

The purpose of this study is to identify and propose the necessary tasks for establishing deliberative participatory budgeting in South Korea by comparing and examining the characteristics of deliberative participatory budgeting implemented by local governments in three countries with different political and social backgrounds. To do so, theoretical and practical discussions on ‘deliberative participatory budgeting’, which encompass perspectives of participatory and direct democracy as well as deliberative democracy, were reviewed. Then, three cases of ‘deliberation-based participatory budgeting’ implemented by local governments such as Zeguo town in China, the city of Greater Geraldton in Australia, and Eunpyeong-gu in Korea, were compared and analyzed. The cases of Zeguo and Geraldton demonstrated that when participatory budgeting systems are combined with deliberative mechanisms such as deliberative pollings and town meetings to address local issues, participatory democracy and deliberative democracy can positively interact with each other and contribute to problem-solving. The case of Eunpyeong-gu stood out for utilizing deliberation in public forums from the stage of proposing ideas for solving local issues to determining priorities. As improvement tasks, it was suggested to diversify the Korean participatory budgeting model, which is primarily operated under the ‘resident proposal project’, and reduce the ‘bias in participation by self-selection’ through the multi-level operation of public forums based on neighborhoods, themes, and target groups.

Bibliometric Review of Participatory Budgeting: Current Status and Future Research Agenda

Participatory budgeting has been advocated as an advanced tool of civic participation and a travelling innovation for more than three decades. This paper provides a bibliometric review of the concurrent body of knowledge on participatory budgeting (PB), explaining how this democratic innovation ‘travelled’ through time and over different scientific fields. This study was based on a dataset of 396 papers on PB published from 1989 to January 2023. The study finds that research in PB has reached its peak of scholarly attention in pre-COVID-19 pandemic years. The study also finds that the research on PB has migrated from the field of political science to other fields, such as economics, management science, law, urban planning, environmental science, and technology.

Management to Promote Participatory Budgeting in the Closing of Gaps in Basic Public Services in the Provincial Condorcanqui - Amazonas Department

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to analyse the management to promote participatory budgeting as an effective tool in closing gaps in basic public services. The main objective was to review existing literature and highlight the contributions and rationale of local government participation and management in the context of municipal public administration. Theoretical framework: Participatory budgeting is mentioned as a key concept in the study. Participatory budgeting involves the active participation of the community in the process of allocating public resources, allowing for greater transparency and decision-making based on the needs and priorities of the population. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study is based on a systematic literature review of descriptive typology, following the guidelines set out in the PRISMA statement. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were established to select relevant papers, which were then synthesised into a matrix that facilitated content analysis by year, country of resource, areas of knowledge and substantive contributions of the review. Findings: Analytical categories, such as participation and local government management, provide examples of exceptional content undervalued by the systems to which they belong. In addition, it is noted that the research revaluates these contributions and the logic of their emergence in the context of public administration. Social, practical and research implications: At the social level, the study highlights the importance of participatory budgeting as a tool that promotes citizen participation in decision-making and the closing of gaps in basic public services. In practical terms, it suggests that a local public administration committed to paradigm shifts in public policy and the provision of high quality public services can benefit from the implementation of participatory budgeting. In terms of research implications, it is mentioned that the research revalues the contributions of the analytical categories and the logic of their emergence. Originality/value: It is highlighted that a systematic literature review was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines, which implies a rigorous approach and a solid basis for the findings and conclusions presented. In addition, the value of citizen participation and local government management in the context of municipal public administration is emphasised.

The Human Element in the Context of Smart Cities

Abstract The smart city concept, influenced by societal changes, technology, and geopolitics, is transitioning towards a human-centered model—Smart City 3.0. Emphasizing community engagement, this model ensures that new technologies are tailored to each city’s unique needs. The creation of a participatory society is essential for this approach, fostering public involvement in decision-making. Core mechanisms include public consultations and participatory budgeting, as legislated, enhancing co-management between authorities and residents. To successfully implement Smart City 3.0, it is vital to build a partnership based on mutual trust between local authorities and communities. Opinions must not only be expressed, but factored into city planning and development. Advisory bodies like city youth councils illustrate this approach, engaging youth in meaningful roles and ensuring their interests are represented. This paper investigates the vital role of community members in the creating of smart city. Additionally, the paper conducts a comprehensive review of various models of participation, evaluating their respective strengths and weaknesses within the context of smart city development.

Effect Of Moral Equity, Locus Of Control, Environmental Uncertainty, Organizational Commitment, Reward, And Motivation On Budgetary Slack: Participatory Budgeting As A Moderating Variable

This study aimed to examine and analyze the effect of moral equity, locus ofcontrol, environment uncertainty, organizational commitment, reward, andmotivation onbudgetary slack: participative budgeting as a moderating variable. The population was all employees who worked at Local Government Organization in East Manggarai Sub-district. Moreover, the data collection technique used purposive sampling. In line with that, there were 115 employees as the sample. Furthermore, the instrument in the data collection technique used questionnaires. The research was quantitative. Additionally, the data analysis technique used multiple linear regression. As the result, it concluded that: (a) moral equity had a negative effect on budgetary slack; (b) locus of control had a negative effect on budgetary slack; (c) motivation had a negative effect on budgetary slack, (d) participative budgeting strengthened the effect of moral equity on budgetary slack; (e) environment uncertainty did not affect on budgetary slack: (f) organizational commitment did not affect budgetary slack; (g) reward did not affect budgetary slack; (h) participative budgeting did not moderate the effect of locus of control on budgetary slack; (i) participative budgeting did not moderate the effect of environment uncertainty om budgetary slack; (j) participative budgeting did not moderate the effect of organizational commitment on budgetary slack; (k) participative budgeting did not moderate the effect of reward on budgetary slack; and (l) participative budgeting did not moderate the effect of motivation on budgetary slack.

Climate change adaptation policy and practice: Case study of the major cities in Poland

The paper critically evaluates the urban climate change adaptation policy and practise in Central Europe using Polish cities as an example. The study focused on local policy documents and a scoring system was elaborated and applied for their analysis with particular attention to ‘green’ adaptation concepts. The link between the time of adoption and the scores received by cities' Strategies and Programmes for Environmental Protection demonstrates innovation flow from science into urban policy. We revealed that many of the proposed measures in Urban Adaptation Plans represent rather mitigation than adaptation implying substantial knowledge gaps in differentiating between them. A portfolio of projects implemented in 2014–2020 within EU funding programmes and Participatory budget was compiled with further classification into ‘green’, ‘grey’, or ‘soft’. More than 80 % of the selected projects in each of the cities were classified as ‘green’, but only one studied city demonstrated an upward trend in the number and cumulative budget of the adaptation projects. The examined Polish cities, similarly to other Central and Eastern European ones, experiencing fast economic growth have featured a profound contraction of green areas over the last decades. Partially it might be compensated by local environmental programmes that promote application of nature-based solutions.

Mutual efforts for mutual trust: Impacts of citizens' knowledge and governmental communication channels on trust in participatory budgeting

Since participatory budgeting (PB) has been advocated by both theorists and practitioners of public administration, its adoption has become a global phenomenon. As of 2017, all local governments in South Korea are legally mandated to operate a PB system as a policy for inviting citizen participation in local budget decision‐making. Using an impact assessment tool completed by PB managers in local governments, this research tested two sets of independent variables—citizens' participatory capacity and the diversification of communication in the PB process—that could be associated with the dependent variables “citizens' trust in government (CTG)” and “government officials' trust in citizens (GTC).” The paper presents the three major findings on the common drivers behind CTG and GTC: (1) citizen participants' knowledge on budget and budgeting process; (2) local government's efforts in gathering citizens' inputs for PB; and (3) the mutual efforts to understand the needs and limitations of both citizens and the local government. The paper concludes by exploring the implications for the design and delivery of effective PB implementation.

How Direct Citizen Participation Affects the Local Government Financial Condition: A Case of Participatory Budgeting in South Korea

In theory, direct citizen engagement in budgeting helps local governments reflect the citizens’ budget preferences more precisely, thereby enhancing citizen-government communication. However, the efficacies of budget participation remain ambiguous considering both its democratic values and the cost of deliberation. In this study, we test how direct citizen participation by means of participatory budgeting (PB) affects the financial condition of local governments. We use a sophisticated concept of financial condition that encompasses various abilities of local government. We measure the degree of citizen participation as the availability of institutional mechanisms associated with different levels of inclusiveness and authorities determined by South Korean local government ordinances of formal budget participation. Our empirical analysis based on South Korean local governments’ data between 2012 and 2019 reveals that a PB institution with higher participation level further worsens the local financial condition. The adverse effects are mostly identified in the mid-term and long-term financial conditions, whereas the short-term financial condition remains unaffected. The findings imply that direct participation in theory corrects mismatches between bureaucratic and citizen priorities, but, in practice, the citizens may inappropriately direct mid- and long-term oriented public investment and debt management.

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

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.

When Participatory Budgeting (PB) funds schools, who benefits? An equity analysis of PB-associated investments in NYC public schools

ABSTRACT Equity goals have shaped participatory budgeting (PB) in North America, but little is known about their impact on PB allocations. Focusing on New York City (PBNYC), this paper examines whether PB-associated increases in public school investments have benefited higher needs students. The paper proposes a model of three key project decision-points in a PB process and examines equity at each: project development, vote, and final budget allocation. Across three PBNYC cycles, analyses confirm the use of two potentially equity advancing tactics during project development: equity descriptors were found for 7.2% of school-related ballot items; and bundling described 33.9% of school-related ballot items. Both tactics were associated with winning PB votes. However, in those years, PB-funded school projects did not benefit higher (or lower) needs students compared to school projects council members funded on their own discretion. Interviews with PB volunteers support these findings and highlight diverse assessments of need and equity.

People and the Budget: What Does the Future Hold for Civil Finance?

Can the society forgo the state participation of the state in the management of state and municipal budgets, or its own funds? What is “civil finance” and how is it related to participatory budgeting? We are about to find out in this material.

The rise, spread and decline of Brazil’s participatory budgeting: the arc of a democratic innovation

Resenha crítica que trata do livro "The rise, spread and decline of Brazil’s participatory budgeting: the arc of a democratic innovation", escrito por Brian Wampler e Benjamin Goldfrank e publicado pela Springer Nature em Janeiro de 2022. Na obra, os autores traçam um panorama e o histórico do orçamento participativo no Brasil, levantando análises e interpretações do porque o instrumento de gestão urbana teve um auge de prestígio e depois uma enorme decadência ao longo dos mais de 30 anos de sua existência no país. De maneira conclusiva, os autores apontam para um momento em que o OP atingiu uma policy bubble, ou seja, em que o lento grau de inovação e o pouco capital político resultante de sua implementação levaram à uma perca de prestígio. Ademais, mudanças no arcabouço institucional brasileiro e elementos do próprio desenho institucional do OP trouxeram limitações acerca da capacidade do Estado de manter a ferramenta na maioria das cidades brasileiras. O presente autor considera que o livro tem grande valor e contribuição para a Geografia urbana e estudos correlatos, trazendo elementos relevantes nos campos científico e político, trazendo fundamentos para uma discussão mais ampla do OP enquanto um dos muitos possíveis caminhos para a justiça espacial.

Technocracy for the People? The Impact of Government-Imposed Democratic Innovations on Governance and Citizen Well-Being

Despite participatory institutions’ increasing ubiquity, we know little about their effects on governance and well-being. What we do know comes largely from Brazil, where positive outcomes have been attributed to civil society’s role in implementation. Often, however, participatory institutions are imposed by national governments, with little civil society engagement. In these cases, scholars have argued, participatory institutions are unlikely to improve governance and well-being, as civil society is not present to unlock the institutions’ potential. We test this proposition in Peru, the first country featuring government mandated participatory institutions for all subnational governments. We find, surprisingly, that Peru’s participatory budgeting process increased pro-poor spending and improved citizen’s quality of life. We attribute these outcomes to reduced information asymmetries, made possible by the central role played by an influential and autonomous government agency. We employ a unique panel dataset, as well as an original survey and extensive interviews with government and civil society actors.

The Effect of Participatory Budgeting on Budget Slack is Moderated by Information Asymmetry, Budget Emphasis, Organizational Commitment and Ethical Considerations

Public sector organizations are established with the aim of providing maximum service to the community. The public sector in order to realize its services, is expected to determine strategies in developing the quality and quantity of its services to the community. The purpose of this study is to measure and provide empirical evidence of the effect of participatory budgeting on budget slack moderated by 4 moderation variables namely information asymmetry, budget emphasis, organizational commitment and ethical considerations. This research is quantitative research using primary data in the form of questionnaire data. The population taken at SKPD Kota Surabaya in the Administration of Development and Procurement of Goods/Services of Surabaya City. The technique used to analyze the data uses multiple regression tests and MRA (Moderated Regression Analysis). This study proves that, participatory budgeting has a significant positive effect on budget slack, while information asymmetry, budget emphasis, organizational commitment, ethical considerations do not moderate the relationship of participatory budgeting to budget slack in the SKPD of the Development Administration and Procurement of Goods/Services of Surabaya City.

Participatory Budgeting Designs for the Real World

Participatory budgeting engages the public in the process of allocating public money to different types of projects. PB designs differ in how voters are asked to express their preferences over candidate projects and how these preferences are aggregated to determine which projects to fund. This paper studies two fundamental questions in PB design. Which voting format and aggregation method to use, and how to evaluate the outcomes of these design decisions? We conduct an extensive empirical study in which 1 800 participants vote in four participatory budgeting elections in a controlled setting to evaluate the practical effects of the choice of voting format and aggregation rule.We find that k-approval leads to the best user experience. With respect to the aggregation rule, greedy aggregation leads to outcomes that are highly sensitive to the input format used and the fraction of the population that participates. The method of equal shares, in contrast, leads to outcomes that are not sensitive to the type of voting format used, and these outcomes are remarkably stable even when the majority of the population does not participate in the election. These results carry valuable insights for PB practitioners and social choice researchers.

Proportionality in Approval-Based Participatory Budgeting

The ability to measure the satisfaction of (groups of) voters is a crucial prerequisite for formulating proportionality axioms in approval-based participatory budgeting elections. Two common -- but very different -- ways to measure the satisfaction of a voter consider (i) the number of approved projects and (ii) the total cost of approved projects, respectively. In general, it is difficult to decide which measure of satisfaction best reflects the voters' true utilities. In this paper, we study proportionality axioms with respect to large classes of approval-based satisfaction functions. We establish logical implications among our axioms and related notions from the literature, and we ask whether outcomes can be achieved that are proportional with respect to more than one satisfaction function. We show that this is impossible for the two commonly used satisfaction functions when considering proportionality notions based on extended justified representation, but achievable for a notion based on proportional justified representation. For the latter result, we introduce a strengthening of priceability and show that it is satisfied by several polynomial-time computable rules, including the Method of Equal Shares and Phragmén's sequential rule.