Bento Gonçalves, Brazil was one of many cities in the country to implement participatory budgeting, to include citizens in democratic deliberation regarding how resources will be distributed.
Note: the following entry is a stub. Please help us complete it.
Problems and Purpose
The participatory budgeting process in Bento Gonçalves, located in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, was initiated in 2009 and it appears to be inactive in 2015. One website mentions that the process was changed in 2012 by having all meetings in just one place. Another website mentions the fact that the number of participants collapsed from 14000 to 2000 in 2013.
Background History and Context
Organizing, Supporting, and Funding Entities
Participant Recruitment and Selection
Methods and Tools Used
This initiative is an example of participatory budgeting, an increasingly common method of democratic innovation broadly described as "a decision-making process through which citizens deliberate and negotiate over the distribution of public resources." There are many benefits associated with participatory budgeting including increased civic and democratic education; increased government transparency; and an increased opportunity for participation by historically marginalized populations. [1]
What Went On: Process, Interaction, and Participation
Influence, Outcomes, and Effects
Analysis and Lessons Learned
See Also
Participatory Budgeting: Porto Alegre 2005-2007
Participatory Budgeting in Bagé, Brazil
References
External Links
http://www.spadap.com/data-collection-projects/the-brazilian-participato... [Participatory Budgeting Census 2012]
[city website provides contact information]
http://www.bentogoncalves.rs.gov.br/antiga/orcamento-participativo-tera-... [website that describes the change in the PB process that occurred in 2012]
http://www.jornalsemanario.com.br/noticia/novo-animo-para-consulta-popular [website that describes the drop in participants in 2013]
Notes
Preparing a write-up of this case will require knowledge of Portuguese & significant primary research (PBcensus 3 - requires significant research). Although there are no existing case studies in English on Bento Gonçalves, the city was surveyed in the Participatory Budgeting Census 2012 (Spada et al. 2012). Three other types of cases have been conducted using the information contained in the Participatory Budgeting Census 2012 that are tagged for easier retrieval in the following way:
- PBcensus 1 - complete raw data
- PBcensus 2 - requires phone call
- PBcensus 3 - requires significant research
Lead Image: Participatory Budgeting Rio Grande do Sul https://goo.gl/vdD8pH