Participatory budgeting
Also called: Porto Alegre model · Topic: Federalism and Centre-State Relations · NCERT: Class 10, Ch 2 "Federalism"
Meaning
Participatory budgeting means ordinary residents help decide how a city's budget is spent. People meet at ward and city level, discuss their needs and propose spending, working alongside the elected city council. It began in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in 1989. It matters because it shows local democracy going beyond voting, with people directly shaping public money.
Example
In Porto Alegre, about 20,000 people take part each year, and spending has moved towards poorer areas. Kerala's People's Plan Campaign (1996) is the Indian parallel, where panchayats prepared development plans with people's participation.
Don't confuse with
- Devolution: devolution is a higher government handing funds, functions and staff to local bodies. Participatory budgeting is about citizens taking part in how that money is spent.