Can participatory budgeting help make public services really work for the public? Incorporating a range of experiments in ten different countries, this book provides the first comprehensive analysis of participatory budgeting in Europe and the effect it has had on democracy, the modernization of local government, social justice, gender mainstreaming and sustainable development. By focussing on the first decade of European participatory budgeting and analysing the results and the challenges affecting the agenda today it provides a critical appraisal of the participatory model. Detailed comparisons of European cases expose similarities and differences between political cultures and offer a strong empirical basis to discuss the theories of deliberative and participatory democracy and reveal contradictory tendencies between political systems, public administrations and democratic practices.
Autorentext
Yves Sintomer is professor for political science at Paris 8 University, and Senior Fellow at the Institut Universitaire de France. He is visiting professor and associated researcher at Neuchâtel University, Lausanne University and Bask Country University. He is doctor of political and social sciences (European University Institute, Florence) and works in a research supervision capacity (Paris 5 University).
Anja Röcke is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the Institute for Social Sciences at Humboldt University, Berlin. She studied in Berlin and Paris and achieved her doctoral degree at the European University Institute in Florence.
Carsten Herzberg is Senior Researcher at the nexus Institute a think tank for participatory politics and cooperation management in Berlin. He studied Political Science and holds a German-French PhD.
Inhalt
Chapter 1. 'It all began in Porto Alegre...'
Chapter 2. European convergence?
Chapter 3. Six participatory models
Chapter 4. Porto Alegre in Europe? (Spain and Italy)
Chapter 5. 'Proximity democracy is in the air' (France)
Chapter 6. Proximity: Springboard or trap? (Belgium, Portugal, Netherlands)
Chapter 7. Participatory modernisation (Germany and Finland)
Chapter 8. Between community development and public-private partnerships (United Kingdom, Poland)
Chapter 9. Public services serving the public?
Chapter 10. An instrument of social justice?
Chapter 11. Democratizing democracy?