From Porto Alegre to Europe: Potentials and Limitations of Participatory Budgeting
Participatory budgets have been
one of the most successful
participatory instruments of the
past 15 years. Ever since it was
invented in Latin America, it
spread over the entire globe. In
Europe, participatory budgets
emerged simultaneously in
seven, mainly Western
European countries. Procedures
are currently underway or are at
a preliminary stage in four
further countries. Altogether, at
the end of 2005, there are more
than 50 European cities with a
participatory budget. Among them are large cities, such as Sevilla in Spain with more than
seven hundred thousand residents or districts of the capital cities London, Paris, Rome and
Berlin. However, there are also medium-sized cities, such as Hilden and Emsdetten in
Germany and small communes, such as Grottamare or Altidona in Italy.