3L: Participatory Budgeting: Analysis of Institutional Fragility through Crises

Abstract

In the 1990s, the Workers’ Party (PT) of Brazil introduced an idea that changed democracy in the country and eventually in the world. Participatory Budgeting (PB) was first introduced in Porto Alegre, a city in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (RS). After its successes in Porto Alegre, the institution spread throughout Brazil, and eventually to the rest of the world. For many years, Participatory Budgeting was celebrated as a revolutionary re-definition of the ways in which democracy can function. In addition, scholars have highlighted its successes (even when noticeably limited) in regards to wealth redistribution and decreasing poverty around the globe. However, recent political, economic, and health crises in Brazilian and the world have affected the functioning of PB. Thus, the present study asks whether these crises had a positive or negative effect in the survival and effectiveness of these participatory institutions. The research will focus on cases from Brazilian municipalities but will also compare their results to those of other cities in the world.

Keywords: participatory budgeting, democracy, Workers’ Party, COVID-19, crises, Brazil, Porto Alegre, participation.