Problems and Purpose
During 2002, the Government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires launched the Participative Budget (PP), a process of participatory, voluntary and universal democracy that serves for the debate, preparation, control and monitoring of the Annual Budget, of the General Program Government and the Investment Plan.
This participatory democracy tool was implemented within the framework of a serious crisis of representativeness of democratic institutions and a deep economic recession that impacted on the social fabric of the City and limited local management resources. At the same time, it helped reduce the gap between the State and civil society, opening a space for the residents to intervene in the public affairs of the City.
History
After 1996, semi-direct democracy mechanisms were implemented in the City of Buenos Aires in different modalities and areas. But all of them, by their nature, had a more or less limited scope both at the government level and at the community level.
On the other hand, for several years, social and trade union organizations of different kinds did a work of dissemination and awareness about the need for the PP. Due to their trajectory, these organizations formed opportunely, at the launch of the PP in 2002, the Advisory Council and today they are part of the Participatory Budget Council (CPP).
Participant Selection
Neighbors over eighteen years of age with domicile corresponding to any of the fifteen CGPC (Community Management and Participation Center) or those who carry out their main commercial activity or carry out community actions can participate in the PP cycle, which must be documented. Neighborhood non-governmental entities, networks and any other form of organization operating in the neighborhood can also do so. The members of the Advisory Council and the members of the CPP. Those mentioned above may join the different instances at any time during the process, after registering in the corresponding registers.
Deliberation, Decisions, and Public Interaction
The cycle of debate and preparation of the PP will have a total duration of five months, ending during the month of August as the deadline. The process in which the PB is developed includes the following participatory instances:
Promoter Forum: a single meeting is held in each CGPC to start the PB Cycle. It will be open to all residents living in the corresponding Commune and will be convened by the General Director and the Participatory Budget Coordinator of each CGPC. The objectives of the Forum are to define the schedule for holding the Neighborhood Assemblies and define the dissemination plan for said assemblies.
Neighborhood Assemblies: in each neighborhood, at least four Assemblies must be held. These Assemblies will be coordinated by the Participatory Budget Coordinator of each CGPC. This is in charge of carrying out the debate and the elaboration of the projects and other participation instances. It is appointed by the Undersecretariat of Citizen Attention.
- First Assembly: its objective is to inform about the development of the PB process, express the needs and the neighborhood problems and explain to the attendees the working modality. It consists of meetings where work is carried out in simultaneous thematic workshops with the assistance of facilitators designated by the CGPC Coordinator. The role of the Coordinators as well as that of the facilitators is to order the use of the word, promote debate among the participants and explain the scope, possibilities and operation of the PB. The workshops are divided into Social Projects (culture, health, education, sports, human rights, production and employment) and Urban Projects (public space, environment and urban development).
- Second Assembly: the thematic workshops are worked on and the Delegates for each thematic workshop are chosen from among the residents participating in each of the workshops. They cannot be government officials. A regular thematic delegate and two alternate thematic delegates will be elected by simple majority. In this way, there will be two titular thematic Delegates and four alternate thematic Delegates for each neighborhood. The projects will be formulated in writing.
- Round of Consultation with Officials: between the second and third Assembly, the thematic delegates, the Coordinator of the Participatory Budget of each CGPC and the General Coordinator of the Participatory Budget carry out a round of consultations with the officials corresponding to each area on legal feasibility , technical and financial of the elaborated projects.
- Third Assembly: during the same, work continues in workshops on the preparation of executable projects.
- Fourth Assembly: during this there is a sharing between social and urban workshops. During this instance, the thematic delegates may nominate candidates for neighborhood councilors. A titular Councilor and an alternate Councilor are elected for each neighborhood.
Communal Councils of the Participatory Budget: one is created for each CGPC. It is made up of a regular Councilor and a substitute for each neighborhood that makes up the CGPC. They are assisted by the CGPC Participatory Budget Coordinator. Once the last Assembly is over, the Council of each CGPC meets and prepares the list of projects together with a synthesis of each one for display on the website, CGPC billboards, Institutions or other media. For a week, the porteños learn about the projects in their neighborhood. After the exhibition period, each neighbor, during a week, may vote for only one project in order to set priorities. After the scrutiny, the results are reported. The two projects with the most votes in each neighborhood will be incorporated into the draft budget that each Ministry submits to the Legislature.
Influence, Outcomes, and Effects
The most voted and technically viable projects become part of the budget for their execution. Their monitoring is carried out by the Participatory Budget Coordinator of each CGPC and the Regular and Alternate Directors. This monitoring begins with the inclusion of the project in the city's preliminary budget project, passing through its approval, until its execution.
Secondary Sources
"Government of the City of Buenos Aires". Buenos Aires 2011
"Government of the City of Buenos Aires". Buenos Aires 2011 [BROKEN LINK]
"Bill of the Deputy Roy Cortina". Buenos Aires 2001
"Bill of the Deputy Roy Cortina". Buenos Aires 2001
"Communes of Buenos Aires". Buenos Aires 2011 [BROKEN LINK]