“The Participatory Budget” is a process that allows the wide public to participate in the planning of the city/municipality budget. In other words, citizens can decide for themselves what to spend dedicated money on, from the city/municipality budget.
The world “Participatory Budget” process began in 1989 in the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil
The first Participatory Budget started in 2015 in Georgia. Today, Participatory Budget is written in the Law of Georgia on local self-government and its implementation is being carried out in stages, at the local level, based on the mayor’s orders.
Quote: “Everyone should participate. As we say, there is no politics, no religion, no one, this is the “Participatory Budget” of the society! This is the reason why I am confident and I always participate.”
(Citizen from Bani, Dominican Republic).
The “Participatory Budget” is one of the most effective participatory practices aiming to involve residents in the management process of the municipality. It increases effectively the efficiency of the implementation of the local policy and legitimizes it among residents. The abundance of parties involved in this process creates the highest mechanism of trust. It allows stimulating the high activity of residents, a greater understanding of local government activities, and increasing responsibility.
According to one of the definitions of civic participation, it is “a multilevel process of social interaction between citizens and public authorities, in the development and decision-making process of issues related to the development of society and the further development of the state”, other words, citizen involvement in the management process.
This requires the readiness of the local self-government to implement the project. There should be a will to allocate a certain amount of money from the budget, which can be managed by the local population. Also, They should appoint a coordinator and allocate funds (small) for promotion.
This requires the readiness of the local self-government to implement the project. There should be a will to allocate a certain amount of money from the budget, which can be managed by the local population. Also, They should appoint a coordinator and allocate funds (small) for promotion.
The “Participatory Budget” can be implemented in any municipality where there is a desire and wish to involve the population in the budget planning process.
It is currently being implemented in 11 municipalities in Georgia.
There are different ways to select a project when implementing a “Participatory Budget”. All these cases avoid extra involvement of other parties maximally and the final decision lies in the hands of the inhabitants. They decide which projects will be implemented.
The main element of the implementation of the “Participatory Budget” is the implementation of the projects planned based on the wishes of the citizens, therefore the final decision will be made for the benefits of the citizens.
Money is allocated from the local budget. The essence of the “Participatory Budget” is that the project is adjusted to a pre-determined amount of money. There are cases when in the municipality several territorial units, the so-called Zone, unification takes place. With this unification, the budget of both zones is summed up and it grows. Consequently, it facilitates the implementation of large projects.
The the “Participatory Budget” is one of the best ways to engage citizens. Involvement of the population is completely legal.
The Local Self-Government Code contains a special section on the practice of citizen participation in local self-government.
In the implementation process of the “Participatory Budget”, the legal documentation is prepared, which defines its legal actions in the ongoing process.
The essence of the “Civil Budget” is to involve the population and meet their needs. Therefore, financing a project planned with the active involvement of citizens is crucial.
Local authorities are mainly considered in the implementation process of a “Participatory Budget”. However, sometimes investors can get involved in the process, at the stage of project promotion or implementation. This can be the implementation of promotional plans or part of a responsible business policy supporting local development. At the same time, a strong and developed local environment greatly contributes to their commercial prosperity.
The amount of money allocated by the self-government for the implementation of the “Participatory Budget” is not limited – it is possible to adjust it to small and large projects as well.
In Georgia, in the municipalities where the “Participatory Budget” is already implemented, there are different practices. This amount varies from 0.3% to 7.2% from the entire municipal budget allocated for the “Participatory Budget”. An increase in the amount of money allocated from the municipalities, is observed over the years.
This additional resource can be the production /dissemination of information materials, the involvement of volunteers, etc.
The projects will be reflected in the budget for the next calendar year and implemented in the same year.
External Learning and Engagement Opportunities
– More info about Academy of Participation
Form for municipality
– first support request
– not first support request)
This form is designed to enable you describing plans for the implementation for the Participatory Budget (PB) in your municipality
