Looking to launch a participatory budget in your city? You’ve come to the right place.
CitizenLab works with over 200 local governments to help them boost community engagement, and over the years we have accumulated experience working on participatory budgets of all shapes and sizes. Here are some of the useful resources we’ve created for cities launching their own PB.
- Our participatory budgeting guide
Let’s start with the basics: our free guide offers practical advice for local government leaders looking to set up a participatory budgeting project in their community. It features information about the types of participatory budgeting, a step-by-step guide to set up a project as well as inspiration from some of our own successful case studies. You can download the guide here. - Participatory budgeting in 3 case studies
PBs come in many shapes and sizes, and they adapt to very different objectives. If you’re looking for inspiration, we’ve made a list of three inspiring case studies that showcase the various ways in which cities are using the feature. You can head here for the article. - Participatory budgeting and accessibility
Digital doesn’t always mean accessible! Online platforms are a great way to get a more diverse audience engaged with a community project, but unless special efforts are made there’s always a risk certain audiences will be left out.
Our case study examines how the city of Ghent created neighborhood committees to ensure inclusivity and involve citizens at every step of the participatory budgeting process.
For more in-depth information about inclusion in e-democracy, head to our inclusion guide. This e-book features definitions and detailed advice on how to set up accessible, inclusive and equitable community engagement projects. - How to pick the right consultation method
Not sure it’s a PB you really need? There are many other community engagement methods, such as surveys, scenario planning or ideation, and each serves a different purpose. We’ve written about these different methods and what they can bring – you can read the article here. - Webinar: the educational power of participatory budgeting
Participatory budgets are very powerful tools to educate your community about the way governments make decisions and prioritize policies. In our one-hour interactive webinar, Thea Crum (Director of the Neighborhoods Initiative and the Great Cities Institute at the University of Illinois Chicago) and Drew Brown (Expert in Participatory Budgeting in communities, schools and organisations) discuss how PBs can be used to create long-lasting relationships with young citizens and foster stronger, more inclusive communities.
