Françoise Montambeault
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780804795166
- eISBN:
- 9780804796576
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Stanford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.11126/stanford/9780804795166.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
Participatory democracy institutional innovations aimed at bringing citizens back into local governance processes are now at the core of the international democratic development agenda. Around the ...
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Participatory democracy institutional innovations aimed at bringing citizens back into local governance processes are now at the core of the international democratic development agenda. Around the world, and especially in Latin America, many local governments, from left and right, have implemented mechanisms to formally include citizens’ input in decision-making processes at the local level. How is the assumed democratization potential of participatory mechanisms actually realized in practice? Institutionalized participatory mechanisms are not, in fact, a panacea against all of democracy’s ills. They have had mixed results in practice at the municipal level, between countries but also between municipalities within a single country, as is the case for Mexico’s participatory planning mechanisms and for Brazil’s participatory budgeting programs. Under what conditions is such institutional change more likely to succeed? Drawing from a comparative study of five participatory democracy experiences located in two Mexican cities and two Brazilian cities, the book develops a conceptual and comparative framework to better understand democratic success by looking at the variety of state-society relationships observed within these institutions. It offers a set of theoretical tools that grasp the variety of empirical realities observed in practice, and seeks to explain them. The novel comparison undertaken reveals that if institutional design matters, then how these institutional mechanisms are appropriated by political and social actors is even more important as it conditions the potential for an autonomous civil society to emerge and actively engage with the local state.Less
Participatory democracy institutional innovations aimed at bringing citizens back into local governance processes are now at the core of the international democratic development agenda. Around the world, and especially in Latin America, many local governments, from left and right, have implemented mechanisms to formally include citizens’ input in decision-making processes at the local level. How is the assumed democratization potential of participatory mechanisms actually realized in practice? Institutionalized participatory mechanisms are not, in fact, a panacea against all of democracy’s ills. They have had mixed results in practice at the municipal level, between countries but also between municipalities within a single country, as is the case for Mexico’s participatory planning mechanisms and for Brazil’s participatory budgeting programs. Under what conditions is such institutional change more likely to succeed? Drawing from a comparative study of five participatory democracy experiences located in two Mexican cities and two Brazilian cities, the book develops a conceptual and comparative framework to better understand democratic success by looking at the variety of state-society relationships observed within these institutions. It offers a set of theoretical tools that grasp the variety of empirical realities observed in practice, and seeks to explain them. The novel comparison undertaken reveals that if institutional design matters, then how these institutional mechanisms are appropriated by political and social actors is even more important as it conditions the potential for an autonomous civil society to emerge and actively engage with the local state.
Jonathan Fox
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199208852
- eISBN:
- 9780191709005
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199208852.003.0007
- Subject:
- Political Science, Democratization
This chapter explores the relationship between democratization and decentralization. In Mexico, the government promoted deliberative citizen participation nation-wide in rural municipalities, well ...
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This chapter explores the relationship between democratization and decentralization. In Mexico, the government promoted deliberative citizen participation nation-wide in rural municipalities, well before national electoral democratization. Mexican decentralization empowered municipalities, but it turns out that municipal governance systematically excludes millions of rural people who live outside of the town centers that usually control municipal affairs. Those villages are most directly governed by sub-municipal authorities. In some states and regions these truly local authorities are chosen democratically, representing villagers to the municipality, in others they are designated from above, representing the mayor to the villagers. This chapter explores rural citizens' efforts to hold local governments accountable through three different comparative research strategies: analysis of resource allocation decision-making processes in a representative sample of local rural governments in the state of Oaxaca; comparison of changing municipal-sub-municipal power relations in four rural states (Oaxaca, Guerrero, Hidalgo, and Chiapas); and a nation-wide comparison of the state level laws that govern this invisible ‘sub-municipal regime’.Less
This chapter explores the relationship between democratization and decentralization. In Mexico, the government promoted deliberative citizen participation nation-wide in rural municipalities, well before national electoral democratization. Mexican decentralization empowered municipalities, but it turns out that municipal governance systematically excludes millions of rural people who live outside of the town centers that usually control municipal affairs. Those villages are most directly governed by sub-municipal authorities. In some states and regions these truly local authorities are chosen democratically, representing villagers to the municipality, in others they are designated from above, representing the mayor to the villagers. This chapter explores rural citizens' efforts to hold local governments accountable through three different comparative research strategies: analysis of resource allocation decision-making processes in a representative sample of local rural governments in the state of Oaxaca; comparison of changing municipal-sub-municipal power relations in four rural states (Oaxaca, Guerrero, Hidalgo, and Chiapas); and a nation-wide comparison of the state level laws that govern this invisible ‘sub-municipal regime’.
Françoise Montambeault
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780804795166
- eISBN:
- 9780804796576
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Stanford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.11126/stanford/9780804795166.003.0006
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
Chapter 6 moves the analysis to the case of Recife, in Brazil. This city presents two cases in one, and as such allows a unique time-based comparison that adds to the space-based comparisons ...
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Chapter 6 moves the analysis to the case of Recife, in Brazil. This city presents two cases in one, and as such allows a unique time-based comparison that adds to the space-based comparisons undertaken throughout the book. The chapter shows that Recife’s two distinct experiences of participatory budgeting, implemented under different local governments, reveal contrasting patterns of state-society relationships: the first one (1993–2000 under a PMDB/PFL coalition) closely corresponds to an ideal type of clientelism, while the other one (2001–2009, under the PT) has the characteristics of disempowering co-option. These varying outcomes thus represent a variation on the mobilization axis, which is best explained by the important changes introduced in the institutional design by the PT in 2001. The sociopolitical context, however, sustained an unequal partnership and political control practices in both experiences.Less
Chapter 6 moves the analysis to the case of Recife, in Brazil. This city presents two cases in one, and as such allows a unique time-based comparison that adds to the space-based comparisons undertaken throughout the book. The chapter shows that Recife’s two distinct experiences of participatory budgeting, implemented under different local governments, reveal contrasting patterns of state-society relationships: the first one (1993–2000 under a PMDB/PFL coalition) closely corresponds to an ideal type of clientelism, while the other one (2001–2009, under the PT) has the characteristics of disempowering co-option. These varying outcomes thus represent a variation on the mobilization axis, which is best explained by the important changes introduced in the institutional design by the PT in 2001. The sociopolitical context, however, sustained an unequal partnership and political control practices in both experiences.
Françoise Montambeault
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780804795166
- eISBN:
- 9780804796576
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Stanford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.11126/stanford/9780804795166.003.0007
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
Chapter 7 presents the most successful case, Belo Horizonte, showing how it more closely corresponds to a case of democratic success, with democratic cooperation emerging between state and society ...
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Chapter 7 presents the most successful case, Belo Horizonte, showing how it more closely corresponds to a case of democratic success, with democratic cooperation emerging between state and society actors. This is best explained by two main elements. On the one hand, the institutional design adopted in Belo Horizonte fostered collective organization of groups of citizens to define the common good. On the other hand, the sociopolitical context within which the process was implemented fostered the autonomy of participants and, rather than sustain strategies of political control, led to development of an equal partnership (understood as such) between state and society actors in the participatory process.Less
Chapter 7 presents the most successful case, Belo Horizonte, showing how it more closely corresponds to a case of democratic success, with democratic cooperation emerging between state and society actors. This is best explained by two main elements. On the one hand, the institutional design adopted in Belo Horizonte fostered collective organization of groups of citizens to define the common good. On the other hand, the sociopolitical context within which the process was implemented fostered the autonomy of participants and, rather than sustain strategies of political control, led to development of an equal partnership (understood as such) between state and society actors in the participatory process.
Jamie Peck and Nik Theodore
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780816677306
- eISBN:
- 9781452950600
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- DOI:
- 10.5749/minnesota/9780816677306.003.0007
- Subject:
- Earth Sciences and Geography, Cultural and Historical Geography
This chapter takes up this theme in more transnational terms, examining the extensive “repurposing” of participatory-budgeting routines in the context of mainstream experiments in inclusive local ...
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This chapter takes up this theme in more transnational terms, examining the extensive “repurposing” of participatory-budgeting routines in the context of mainstream experiments in inclusive local governance. The “pasteurized” version of PB favored by the multilateral agencies is seen to have traveled far and fast, but the transformative potential of the original seems to have been lost along the way.Less
This chapter takes up this theme in more transnational terms, examining the extensive “repurposing” of participatory-budgeting routines in the context of mainstream experiments in inclusive local governance. The “pasteurized” version of PB favored by the multilateral agencies is seen to have traveled far and fast, but the transformative potential of the original seems to have been lost along the way.
Josh Lerner
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780801456657
- eISBN:
- 9780801456060
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9780801456657.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Democratization
The Laurence and Lynne Brown Democracy Medal recognizes outstanding individuals, groups, and organizations that produce exceptional innovations to further democracy in the United States or around the ...
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The Laurence and Lynne Brown Democracy Medal recognizes outstanding individuals, groups, and organizations that produce exceptional innovations to further democracy in the United States or around the world. The inaugural medal winner, the Participatory Budgeting Project (PBP), is an innovative not-for-profit organization that promotes “participatory budgeting,” an inclusive process that empowers community members to make informed decisions about public spending. More than 46,000 people in communities across the United States have decided how to spend $45 million through programs that PBP helped spark over the last five years. This book provides a concise history of the organization's origins and its vision, highlighting its real-world successes in fostering grassroots budgeting campaigns in such cities as New York, Boston, and Chicago. As more and more communities turn to participatory budgeting as a means of engaging citizens, prioritizing civic projects, and allocating local, state, and federal funding, this volume aims to offer guidance and inspiration to others who want to transform democracy in the United States and elsewhere.Less
The Laurence and Lynne Brown Democracy Medal recognizes outstanding individuals, groups, and organizations that produce exceptional innovations to further democracy in the United States or around the world. The inaugural medal winner, the Participatory Budgeting Project (PBP), is an innovative not-for-profit organization that promotes “participatory budgeting,” an inclusive process that empowers community members to make informed decisions about public spending. More than 46,000 people in communities across the United States have decided how to spend $45 million through programs that PBP helped spark over the last five years. This book provides a concise history of the organization's origins and its vision, highlighting its real-world successes in fostering grassroots budgeting campaigns in such cities as New York, Boston, and Chicago. As more and more communities turn to participatory budgeting as a means of engaging citizens, prioritizing civic projects, and allocating local, state, and federal funding, this volume aims to offer guidance and inspiration to others who want to transform democracy in the United States and elsewhere.
Jamie Peck and Nik Theodore
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780816677306
- eISBN:
- 9781452950600
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- DOI:
- 10.5749/minnesota/9780816677306.003.0006
- Subject:
- Earth Sciences and Geography, Cultural and Historical Geography
This chapter centers on the storied site of PB’s “invention.” Though still an inspiration to many, the Porto Alegre experience illustrates the political slipperiness of the PB concept, which under ...
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This chapter centers on the storied site of PB’s “invention.” Though still an inspiration to many, the Porto Alegre experience illustrates the political slipperiness of the PB concept, which under more conservative administrations has become a hollowed out version of its former self. Policy models are consequently not always what they seem, even in their sites of authenticity.Less
This chapter centers on the storied site of PB’s “invention.” Though still an inspiration to many, the Porto Alegre experience illustrates the political slipperiness of the PB concept, which under more conservative administrations has become a hollowed out version of its former self. Policy models are consequently not always what they seem, even in their sites of authenticity.
Josh Lerner
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780801456657
- eISBN:
- 9780801456060
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9780801456657.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, Democratization
This chapter examines the concept of “participatory budgeting” (PB). Since the centuries-old political institutions are ailing, perhaps a dose of modern technology could revive them; and since people ...
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This chapter examines the concept of “participatory budgeting” (PB). Since the centuries-old political institutions are ailing, perhaps a dose of modern technology could revive them; and since people are indifferent to public meetings and polling stations, perhaps they would show up for something online. Using the PB process, people decide how to spend part of the city budget through an annual series of neighborhood, district, and citywide assemblies. At these meetings, community members and elected budget delegates discuss community needs and set spending priorities. The United Nations and World Bank name PB a best practice of democratic governance. Most PB processes concern municipal spending, but states, counties, schools, and housing authorities have also begun using it for their own budgets.Less
This chapter examines the concept of “participatory budgeting” (PB). Since the centuries-old political institutions are ailing, perhaps a dose of modern technology could revive them; and since people are indifferent to public meetings and polling stations, perhaps they would show up for something online. Using the PB process, people decide how to spend part of the city budget through an annual series of neighborhood, district, and citywide assemblies. At these meetings, community members and elected budget delegates discuss community needs and set spending priorities. The United Nations and World Bank name PB a best practice of democratic governance. Most PB processes concern municipal spending, but states, counties, schools, and housing authorities have also begun using it for their own budgets.
Graham Smith
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- September 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781529200980
- eISBN:
- 9781529200973
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781529200980.003.0006
- Subject:
- Political Science, Public Policy
Democratic innovations, variously described as ‘empowered participation’ or ‘civic innovation’, are designed to increase and deepen citizen participation in the decisions that affect them directly. ...
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Democratic innovations, variously described as ‘empowered participation’ or ‘civic innovation’, are designed to increase and deepen citizen participation in the decisions that affect them directly. This chapter reviews current understanding of participatory processes such as citizens’ assemblies, citizens’ juries, deliberative polling, participatory budgeting, study circles, town meetings, and online dialogues; and considers their impact along with an analysis of the implications of different participatory designs on democratic qualities and policy outcomes. One of the limitations of the burgeoning literature on democratic innovations is the tendency to focus on exemplary cases, which often underplays the variety of conditions that need to be in place for the success of these forms of public engagement. Close attention is given to the different approaches taken with participatory budgeting and randomly selected mini-publics in diverse contexts, to illustrate both the substantial potential of democratic innovations to improve democratic politics and their vulnerabilities to misapplication.Less
Democratic innovations, variously described as ‘empowered participation’ or ‘civic innovation’, are designed to increase and deepen citizen participation in the decisions that affect them directly. This chapter reviews current understanding of participatory processes such as citizens’ assemblies, citizens’ juries, deliberative polling, participatory budgeting, study circles, town meetings, and online dialogues; and considers their impact along with an analysis of the implications of different participatory designs on democratic qualities and policy outcomes. One of the limitations of the burgeoning literature on democratic innovations is the tendency to focus on exemplary cases, which often underplays the variety of conditions that need to be in place for the success of these forms of public engagement. Close attention is given to the different approaches taken with participatory budgeting and randomly selected mini-publics in diverse contexts, to illustrate both the substantial potential of democratic innovations to improve democratic politics and their vulnerabilities to misapplication.
Gianpaolo Baiocchi and Ernesto Ganuza
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- March 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781479847273
- eISBN:
- 9781479800223
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9781479847273.003.0010
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
This chapter examines how the concept of “participatory budgeting” has become a global phenomenon. It traces the genealogy of participatory budgeting, from its original formulation as a tool of ...
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This chapter examines how the concept of “participatory budgeting” has become a global phenomenon. It traces the genealogy of participatory budgeting, from its original formulation as a tool of grassroots democracy in Brazil in the mid-1980s to its emergence as a best practice for intergovernmental organizations such as USAID and the World Bank, especially in the area of good governance. It explains how participatory budgeting evolved into a model of participatory democracy that deemphasized associations and collectives in favor of the individual citizen. It also considers the notion that political and economic elites colonized “pure” participation in order to legitimate the expansion of capitalist markets, suggesting that regulation and governance questions are always a part of public participation and that participatory practices are never exactly utopian.Less
This chapter examines how the concept of “participatory budgeting” has become a global phenomenon. It traces the genealogy of participatory budgeting, from its original formulation as a tool of grassroots democracy in Brazil in the mid-1980s to its emergence as a best practice for intergovernmental organizations such as USAID and the World Bank, especially in the area of good governance. It explains how participatory budgeting evolved into a model of participatory democracy that deemphasized associations and collectives in favor of the individual citizen. It also considers the notion that political and economic elites colonized “pure” participation in order to legitimate the expansion of capitalist markets, suggesting that regulation and governance questions are always a part of public participation and that participatory practices are never exactly utopian.
Josh Lerner
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780801456657
- eISBN:
- 9780801456060
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9780801456657.003.0007
- Subject:
- Political Science, Democratization
This chapter discusses how in the US, the number of participatory budgeting (PB) participants and dollars allocated has roughly doubled each year since 2011. PB is also being considered for a growing ...
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This chapter discusses how in the US, the number of participatory budgeting (PB) participants and dollars allocated has roughly doubled each year since 2011. PB is also being considered for a growing range of budgets, including for districts, cities, school districts, universities, housing authorities, agencies, court settlements, community benefits agreements, and even community grants from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Since launching Joe Moore's process in 2009, PB has been brought to forty communities across the country. Democratic innovation is evident through people organizing public forums, writing to their elected officials, sharing videos and materials with friends, and meeting with school and university administrators.Less
This chapter discusses how in the US, the number of participatory budgeting (PB) participants and dollars allocated has roughly doubled each year since 2011. PB is also being considered for a growing range of budgets, including for districts, cities, school districts, universities, housing authorities, agencies, court settlements, community benefits agreements, and even community grants from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Since launching Joe Moore's process in 2009, PB has been brought to forty communities across the country. Democratic innovation is evident through people organizing public forums, writing to their elected officials, sharing videos and materials with friends, and meeting with school and university administrators.
Josh Lerner
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780801456657
- eISBN:
- 9780801456060
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9780801456657.003.0003
- Subject:
- Political Science, Democratization
This chapter talks about how a small but growing group of advocates worked to bring participatory budgeting (PB) to the US. They initially associated with Gianpaolo Baiocchi and Mike Menser at the ...
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This chapter talks about how a small but growing group of advocates worked to bring participatory budgeting (PB) to the US. They initially associated with Gianpaolo Baiocchi and Mike Menser at the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre. Baiocchi was a Brazilian transplant to the US, while Menser was a philosophy professor, union organizer, and fan of urban agriculture and economic democracy. In 2009, the group launched the first PB process in the US. Through public talks, they met with Joe Moore, a member of the city council, who took interest in PB but remained doubtful of its success in Chicago without the mayor's support. However, after it occurred to him that he had direct authority over a modest pot of money, Moore decided to launch the first US experiment in PB-style democracy as a means of reengaging his frustrated constituents.Less
This chapter talks about how a small but growing group of advocates worked to bring participatory budgeting (PB) to the US. They initially associated with Gianpaolo Baiocchi and Mike Menser at the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre. Baiocchi was a Brazilian transplant to the US, while Menser was a philosophy professor, union organizer, and fan of urban agriculture and economic democracy. In 2009, the group launched the first PB process in the US. Through public talks, they met with Joe Moore, a member of the city council, who took interest in PB but remained doubtful of its success in Chicago without the mayor's support. However, after it occurred to him that he had direct authority over a modest pot of money, Moore decided to launch the first US experiment in PB-style democracy as a means of reengaging his frustrated constituents.
Emil A. Sobottka
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781474415347
- eISBN:
- 9781474427036
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9781474415347.003.0008
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
In Brazil, political participation is a recent phenomenon. In the late 1970s, social movements and some NGOs began to demand what they called a ‘right to participate’ in the control of the state and ...
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In Brazil, political participation is a recent phenomenon. In the late 1970s, social movements and some NGOs began to demand what they called a ‘right to participate’ in the control of the state and the decision-making processes of public policy. The Federal Constitution from 1988 created many instruments to involve stakeholders directly in the formulation and management of specific policies by foreseeing direct participation in them. Probably the best known mode of participation is participatory budgeting. It was first implemented in Porto Alegre in 1990 and, then, expanded to many cities in Brazil and the world. New forms of relationship between citizens and the state have been attempted – with success – at the various levels of government and in the treatment of a variety of public issues. But severe difficulties in the political representative system and the problem of social inequality are still subsistent.Less
In Brazil, political participation is a recent phenomenon. In the late 1970s, social movements and some NGOs began to demand what they called a ‘right to participate’ in the control of the state and the decision-making processes of public policy. The Federal Constitution from 1988 created many instruments to involve stakeholders directly in the formulation and management of specific policies by foreseeing direct participation in them. Probably the best known mode of participation is participatory budgeting. It was first implemented in Porto Alegre in 1990 and, then, expanded to many cities in Brazil and the world. New forms of relationship between citizens and the state have been attempted – with success – at the various levels of government and in the treatment of a variety of public issues. But severe difficulties in the political representative system and the problem of social inequality are still subsistent.
Albert W. Dzur
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- December 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780190658663
- eISBN:
- 9780190919214
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190658663.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics, Political Theory
City and local governments have welcomed public participation, in short-term ways, on issues such as crime prevention, affordable housing, urban planning, service provision, and general budgeting. ...
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City and local governments have welcomed public participation, in short-term ways, on issues such as crime prevention, affordable housing, urban planning, service provision, and general budgeting. They have been reluctant, however, to include citizens in substantive, long-term collaborative governance. At a time of budget constraints, multifaceted social problems, declining public trust, changing citizen expectations, and social media transparency, public administrators are motivated to experiment, but only incrementally. Drawing from interviews with reformers, this chapter discusses ad hoc strategies of citizen involvement directed toward specific policy problems, environmental commitments to participation involving multiple forms of citizen engagement, educational innovations such as citizens’ academies, and power-sharing innovations such as participatory budgeting. While some participatory innovations dissipate after a few months, others take root in a self-sustaining civic environment. Factors relevant to sustainability include divisions of labor between citizens and city managers, persistent outreach, substantive work done by citizens, and real power-sharing opportunities.Less
City and local governments have welcomed public participation, in short-term ways, on issues such as crime prevention, affordable housing, urban planning, service provision, and general budgeting. They have been reluctant, however, to include citizens in substantive, long-term collaborative governance. At a time of budget constraints, multifaceted social problems, declining public trust, changing citizen expectations, and social media transparency, public administrators are motivated to experiment, but only incrementally. Drawing from interviews with reformers, this chapter discusses ad hoc strategies of citizen involvement directed toward specific policy problems, environmental commitments to participation involving multiple forms of citizen engagement, educational innovations such as citizens’ academies, and power-sharing innovations such as participatory budgeting. While some participatory innovations dissipate after a few months, others take root in a self-sustaining civic environment. Factors relevant to sustainability include divisions of labor between citizens and city managers, persistent outreach, substantive work done by citizens, and real power-sharing opportunities.
Jamie Peck and Nik Theodore
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780816677306
- eISBN:
- 9781452950600
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- DOI:
- 10.5749/minnesota/9780816677306.003.0008
- Subject:
- Earth Sciences and Geography, Cultural and Historical Geography
This chapter explores the vital role of policy networks in the transnational (re)construction of the PB field, concluding that these are nevertheless invariably connected to centers of political ...
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This chapter explores the vital role of policy networks in the transnational (re)construction of the PB field, concluding that these are nevertheless invariably connected to centers of political power.Less
This chapter explores the vital role of policy networks in the transnational (re)construction of the PB field, concluding that these are nevertheless invariably connected to centers of political power.
Josh Lerner
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780801456657
- eISBN:
- 9780801456060
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9780801456657.003.0006
- Subject:
- Political Science, Democratization
This chapter explores how, in September 2013, the White House reached out to the Participatory Budgeting Project (PBP) group to survey how the federal government could support PB. The early success ...
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This chapter explores how, in September 2013, the White House reached out to the Participatory Budgeting Project (PBP) group to survey how the federal government could support PB. The early success of PB in the US provided a new model for beefing up the participation side of open government. White House communications contacted the PBP along with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and together they explored how federal housing and community development funds could be allocated through PB. The PBP also decided to focus more on developing the common tools and resources that could enable PB to grow dramatically across the US and beyond. They also designed new training methods and toolkits to enable community members to play a stronger role in both advocacy and implementation.Less
This chapter explores how, in September 2013, the White House reached out to the Participatory Budgeting Project (PBP) group to survey how the federal government could support PB. The early success of PB in the US provided a new model for beefing up the participation side of open government. White House communications contacted the PBP along with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and together they explored how federal housing and community development funds could be allocated through PB. The PBP also decided to focus more on developing the common tools and resources that could enable PB to grow dramatically across the US and beyond. They also designed new training methods and toolkits to enable community members to play a stronger role in both advocacy and implementation.
Duncan McLaren and Julian Agyeman
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- September 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780262029728
- eISBN:
- 9780262329705
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262029728.003.0011
- Subject:
- Environmental Science, Environmental Studies
Chapter 3 explores political and cultural dimensions of the sharing city. It discusses the centrality of urban spaces to political and protest movements such as the Arab Spring and Occupy; and how ...
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Chapter 3 explores political and cultural dimensions of the sharing city. It discusses the centrality of urban spaces to political and protest movements such as the Arab Spring and Occupy; and how such movements now equally depend on public cyberspace. It explores ways in which sharing can underpin democracy in practice, building social capital, supporting a healthy public realm, and challenging the hold of consumerism on identity. It focuses on communal forms of sharing, for example considering the role of collaborative leisure, and taking a close look at streetlife and other opportunities for the development of interculturalism. Finally it examines ways in which sharing is emerging in the practices of urban governance, highlighting key challenges to urban democracy in land ownership and taxation.Less
Chapter 3 explores political and cultural dimensions of the sharing city. It discusses the centrality of urban spaces to political and protest movements such as the Arab Spring and Occupy; and how such movements now equally depend on public cyberspace. It explores ways in which sharing can underpin democracy in practice, building social capital, supporting a healthy public realm, and challenging the hold of consumerism on identity. It focuses on communal forms of sharing, for example considering the role of collaborative leisure, and taking a close look at streetlife and other opportunities for the development of interculturalism. Finally it examines ways in which sharing is emerging in the practices of urban governance, highlighting key challenges to urban democracy in land ownership and taxation.
Caroline W. Lee, Michael McQuarrie, and Edward T. Walker
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- March 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781479847273
- eISBN:
- 9781479800223
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9781479847273.003.0013
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
This concluding chapter reexamines the pitfalls and unrealized promises of public participation in a context of severe structural inequalities. Focusing on remedies suggested in the other chapters of ...
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This concluding chapter reexamines the pitfalls and unrealized promises of public participation in a context of severe structural inequalities. Focusing on remedies suggested in the other chapters of this book, it argues that critical perspectives on participation are necessary in order to leverage the opportunities for challenging inequalities resulting from fiscal and political crises. The chapter outlines four questions that can pave the way for new research on participation and public deliberation: probing how cultural discourses around participation are intertwined with historically specific political environments; recontextualizing and historicizing what is really “new” about the new public participation, including the concepts of participatory budgeting and Asset-Based Community Development; linking the new public participation to larger trends in the reinforcement of inequality in the present moment; and reevaluating the continuing promise of participation, such as in the case of empowerment projects, despite mixed, complex results.Less
This concluding chapter reexamines the pitfalls and unrealized promises of public participation in a context of severe structural inequalities. Focusing on remedies suggested in the other chapters of this book, it argues that critical perspectives on participation are necessary in order to leverage the opportunities for challenging inequalities resulting from fiscal and political crises. The chapter outlines four questions that can pave the way for new research on participation and public deliberation: probing how cultural discourses around participation are intertwined with historically specific political environments; recontextualizing and historicizing what is really “new” about the new public participation, including the concepts of participatory budgeting and Asset-Based Community Development; linking the new public participation to larger trends in the reinforcement of inequality in the present moment; and reevaluating the continuing promise of participation, such as in the case of empowerment projects, despite mixed, complex results.
Josh Lerner
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780801456657
- eISBN:
- 9780801456060
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9780801456657.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, Democratization
This chapter addresses the issue of whether participatory budgeting (PB) in the US would repeat the same pattern from Brazil—by being a “pro-poor” program, in which poor people participated more ...
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This chapter addresses the issue of whether participatory budgeting (PB) in the US would repeat the same pattern from Brazil—by being a “pro-poor” program, in which poor people participated more often and won more funding. For the first few years in the US, the answer was a definite maybe; poor people in the US did not flock to PB. Unlike the favelas (shantytowns) of Brazil in which basic infrastructure improvements funded by PB are a top priority, streets in the US are already paved, and fixing potholes is a middle-class concern. Instead of satisfying basic needs, PB has often provided an outlet for creativity, such as underpass murals, artistic bike racks, and dog parks. PB is not inherently pro-poor in the United States, but it can inspire altruistic voting on behalf of projects that benefit other communities.Less
This chapter addresses the issue of whether participatory budgeting (PB) in the US would repeat the same pattern from Brazil—by being a “pro-poor” program, in which poor people participated more often and won more funding. For the first few years in the US, the answer was a definite maybe; poor people in the US did not flock to PB. Unlike the favelas (shantytowns) of Brazil in which basic infrastructure improvements funded by PB are a top priority, streets in the US are already paved, and fixing potholes is a middle-class concern. Instead of satisfying basic needs, PB has often provided an outlet for creativity, such as underpass murals, artistic bike racks, and dog parks. PB is not inherently pro-poor in the United States, but it can inspire altruistic voting on behalf of projects that benefit other communities.
Tom Malleson
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- April 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199330102
- eISBN:
- 9780199368266
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199330102.003.0007
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory, Democratization
This chapter examines real world examples of institutions that have been developed to democratize finance and investment. Three main areas are explored. The first section looks at the efficacy of ...
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This chapter examines real world examples of institutions that have been developed to democratize finance and investment. Three main areas are explored. The first section looks at the efficacy of capital controls. The second section examines various institutions of democratic finance—public banks, credit unions, and Mondragon’s bank the Caja Laboral. The third section looks at institutions of democratic investment—public investment at the state level and participatory budgeting at the local level. The final section inquires into the possibilities of transition toward these democratic structures. Overall, the central argument is that these democratic institutions, although not well-known, are indeed practically feasible, and their implementation can lead to important democratic progress.Less
This chapter examines real world examples of institutions that have been developed to democratize finance and investment. Three main areas are explored. The first section looks at the efficacy of capital controls. The second section examines various institutions of democratic finance—public banks, credit unions, and Mondragon’s bank the Caja Laboral. The third section looks at institutions of democratic investment—public investment at the state level and participatory budgeting at the local level. The final section inquires into the possibilities of transition toward these democratic structures. Overall, the central argument is that these democratic institutions, although not well-known, are indeed practically feasible, and their implementation can lead to important democratic progress.
