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Participatory Budget

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A Participatory Budget is a participation method that allows citizens to propose and decide on projects to improve their neighbourhood, municipality, or city. A predefined public budget is made available to fund selected ideas. The method combines participation with tangible outcomes, enabling citizens to directly influence how public funds are invested in their community.

Goal

The goal of a Participatory Budget is to actively involve citizens in shaping their neighbourhood, municipality, or city. Participants can submit their own project ideas and decide collectively which proposals should receive funding from the available budget.

When useful?

  • citizens should develop their own ideas for improving their community
  • local projects should become visible and be implemented directly
  • participation should lead to concrete outcomes
  • encouraging civic responsibility and engagement
  • attracting new target groups to participation
  • neighbourhood, municipal, or community development
  • strengthening collaboration between the public administration and citizens

When not useful?

  • no funding is available
  • policymakers or the public administration are unwilling to implement the selected projects
  • projects require very rapid implementation
  • there is little or no previous experience with participatory processes

Process

At the beginning, clarify:

  • How much funding is available?
  • Who provides the budget?
  • How often will the participatory budget take place?
  • Which types of projects are eligible for funding?

Important:

Communicate the available budget and financial framework transparently from the very beginning.

It can be helpful to specify thematic areas, such as:

  • public spaces
  • mobility
  • leisure
  • environment
  • neighbourhood development
  • culture

It should also be clearly stated which types of proposals are not eligible.

A helpful guiding question is: "Which projects can realistically be implemented at the municipal level?"

Citizens should be able to submit ideas through various channels, for example:

  • an online platform
  • a submission box or postal mail
  • municipal offices
  • information stands
  • participation events

The simpler the submission process, the more people are likely to participate.

Particular attention should be given to involving people who rarely participate in public engagement processes.

Possible approaches include:

  • outreach activities
  • information stands in public spaces
  • cooperation with local organisations
  • visits to youth centres
  • discussions in senior centres

At the beginning of the process, citizens are informed about:

  • the timeline
  • the available budget
  • participation requirements
  • selection criteria

Important:

Communication should be clear, transparent, and easy to understand.

Citizens submit their ideas through one or more available channels.

Providing multiple submission options helps increase participation across different target groups.

Helpful guiding questions include:

  • "What would improve our neighbourhood?"
  • "Which idea is currently missing?"
  • "How should the available budget be used?"
  • "Which project would benefit the greatest number of people?"

Avoid:

  • overly complex application forms
  • technical language
  • unclear eligibility criteria

Submitted ideas are assessed based on:

  • responsibility and jurisdiction
  • feasibility
  • estimated costs
  • legal requirements

Important:

Maintain transparency throughout the review process.

If proposals cannot be accepted, clearly explain the reasons.

Citizens decide which projects should receive funding.

Voting may take place through:

  • online voting
  • public voting events
  • workshops

The selection process should be transparent, fair, and easy to understand.

The selected projects are then implemented.

Depending on the model, implementation may be carried out by:

  • the public administration
  • citizens
  • a partnership between citizens and the administration

Regular progress updates should be published throughout implementation.

After the process, publish information such as:

  • the number of submitted ideas
  • the number of participants who voted
  • the selected projects
  • the allocated funding
  • the implementation status

Helpful evaluation questions include:

  • Which groups participated?
  • Which groups were underrepresented?
  • Which topics were most important?
  • What barriers emerged during the process?

These insights can improve future participatory budgeting initiatives.

Participants should be informed about:

  • which projects were selected
  • why certain proposals could not be implemented
  • the current implementation status

Visible feedback strengthens trust in future participation processes.

Showing the tangible impact of citizens' ideas encourages continued engagement in future initiatives.

Source: https://partizipation.at/partizipation-anwenden/methoden/

Notes

Tips

  • Communicate the available budget and selection criteria early.
  • Keep the submission process as simple as possible.
  • Offer both online and offline participation opportunities.
  • Explain decisions transparently.
  • Allow sufficient time to review submitted proposals.
  • Regularly communicate the implementation progress.
  • Actively involve underrepresented groups.
  • Make successful projects highly visible.

Not suitable for

  • situations where no funding is available
  • projects without support from policymakers or the public administration
  • processes lacking resources for proposal review and implementation
  • situations with unclear rules or framework conditions
  • contexts with little or no previous experience in participatory processes

Similar Methods

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Afterwards

Afterwards, methods that organise, deepen, or translate the gathered content into concrete steps are useful. Depending on the goal, the following formats can follow, for example:

Citizen Forum

A Citizen Forum is a participatory format that enables dialogue between residents, policymakers, public authorities, and other relevant stakeholders. Its purpose is to bring together diverse perspectives, discuss shared challenges, and collaboratively develop solutions. By combining face-to-face events with digital participation formats, a larger number of people can be involved over an extended period of time.

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Citizens' Public Meeting

A Citizens' Public Meeting is an open participation format in which people are informed about a project or proposal and then invited to share their questions, opinions, suggestions, and concerns. It is particularly suitable for reaching a large number of people at the same time, increasing transparency, and gathering initial public feedback. The format usually combines an information session with an open discussion. Depending on the topic and the number of participants, discussions may take place in plenary, at themed discussion tables, or in smaller groups.

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