Author: Oliver Escobar, What Works Scotland

Date: 17 February 2015

Oliver Escobar of What Works Scotland outlines how participatory budgeting is gaining momentum in Scotland.

Participatory budgeting (PB) is a process that enables citizens to deliberate on priorities and decide on the allocation of public money.

It started in 1989 in Porto Alegre (Brazil) and has now spread to over 1,500 localities around the globe. One of the reasons it is so popular there is its substantial impact on tackling inequalities, solving local problems and increasing civic engagement. In other countries, it has often been less impressive.

There are clear signs it is gaining momentum in Scotland, such as various organisations conducting such projects in the last few years and an increasing number planning to start new processes.

Read the post on the What Works Scotland blog