Participatory Budgeting (PB) is a democratic process in which community members directly decide how to spend part of a public budget. It gives ordinary people power over government as they make the budget decisions that affect their lives.
A map from the Participatory Budgeting Project (updated 2019) shows some of the over 1,500 cities and institutions implementing Participatory Budgeting (PB). The map highlights some of the most developed and interesting PB processes in North America, Latin America and Europe to illustrate the diversity of PB models. It provides basic information about each process. There is additional detailed information on PB examples in North America, here.
Evaluations are available from various sources. Some are more neutral than others. One evaluation worth reading is a report from the Urban Justice Center, A People's Budget, Year 2
England has produced one of the most exhaustive evaluations of participatory budgeting at a national level. Commissioned by the Communities and Local Government agency, a consulting firm initiated a national evaluation that tracked the processes and experiences with participatory budgeting, which included a review of different models that emerged. The evaluation report gives a comprehensive view of best practices.
For more information, Articles from the Participatory Budgeting Project has an extensive list of articles offering theory and examples.
Beyond Theory: Participatory Budgeting and its Promises for eParticipation, Tiago Pexioto European University Institute, March 2009
Rodgers, Dennis, (2010) Contingent Democratization? The rise and fall of participatory budgeting in Buenos Aires, Journal of Latin American Studies, 42 (1) pp.1-27. ISSN0022-216X. A version is also available through the London School of Economics at http://eprints.sle.ac.uk/28354
One of the most often cited examples is the participation by citizens in Brazil have participated in a system called participative or participatory budgeting(PB) since 1989. The example set in Brazil spread across Latin America and around the globe.
Today, debate and consultation processes over capital expenditures take place in meetings, regional conventions, and specific thematic assemblies. Technicians, government leaders, and ordinary people participate directly to decide taxes and public spending, the amounts of income and expense, when and where investments will occur, and plans and actions to be taken by the Brazilian Government.
Over the years,the process has been viewed as a success.
In 2001, Toronto Community Housing residents decided how to spend the government's capital funds . In 2014, Toronto citizens voted to spend the total PB budget of $5 million for building and developments on safety projects. This priority became part of a separate city-wide allocation process.
In Chicago, Illinois (2010), Alderman Joe More was the first elected official in the U.S. to try PB. He ceded budget decisions to constituents of the 49th ward. Residents voted directly on community infrastructure projects.
The City of Vallejo in California became the first U.S. municipality to approve city-wide participatory budgeting (PB). Vallejo residents were equal partners in a decision-making process involving a portion of the city's budget.
In California, a PB partnership was formed to assist 14 low-income communities across California between the Participatory Budgeting Project, based in New York, and The California Endowment, which funds health related projects. The partnership was based on the premise that building strong communities is an important part of public health.
New York City initiated participatory budgeting in 2011. Almost 8,000 New Yorkers participated in four districts. In (2012-2013) over 13,000 diverse residents from eight Council Districts in four boroughs were involved in participatory budgeting. One observer noted that party politics was less of a factor compared to more traditional budget decision-making processes.
PB isn't in Ithaca in upstate New York NY...yet. Matt Green, Ithaca native and member of the Participatory Budgeting City-wide Steering Committee in New York City, introduced the concept in a panel discussion in 2013 using the term a "deeper democracy." Ithaca is viewed as a progressive city. However, there were questions as to how participatory budgeting would work in smaller, less well-endowed cities that did not have the same discretionary funds available as New York City and other large cities.
Answering that question - There are diverse forms of participatory budgeting so it is a good idea to read the evaluations that have been done with the understanding that participatory budgeting can be adaptive to a particular situation.
The New York model, for instance, has assemblies, delegates are selected and then meet in committees. They return to the community with draft project proposals and a final proposal. The people vote on this proposal.
According to many of those who have experienced participatory budgeting, winning cooperation based on a broad common interest is more critical to this form of democracy than the immediacy of discretionary funds.
In Brazil, the common interests were that marginalized populations had been forgotten too long. The consequence was a massive social debt, primarily because elected officials repeatedly followed their own priorities. There was corruption and misuse of funds by public officials. The high visibility of chronic poverty was a motivating factor.
Recruiting and keeping citizens involved in the process is a challenge. But once neighborhoods and districts see their achievements in action, whether they decided on a sales tax or to build a new playground, the benefits of participating and then seeing the results of their vote brings new possibilities for change, including better educated voters.