Towards a higher-quality participatory budgeting process through evaluation

Abstract

Participatory budgeting (PB) has proven popular in the Baltic Sea Region, but municipalities are at different stages of utilising it. Many are contemplating taking it up or piloting for the first time while some are more advanced, having already knowledge through previous processes. Key issues that interest municipalities, citizens, and stakeholders alike in PB are the results, impacts and outcomes of the process. Evaluating the impact of participatory budgeting or participation in general is challenging. However, factors such as an efficient, transparent, and equal process are recognised in literature as crucial points in ensuring the high quality of PB and thus the overall impact. Thus, this article focuses on process evaluation and offers an evaluation framework synthesised by the Finnish EmPaci partners, LAB University of Applied Sciences and Tampere University, that was used in the Finnish PB pilots for EmPaci in Lahti and Riihimäki. Lahti was at the time running their first city-level PB and Riihimäki their second and both cities are committed to continuing PB rounds in the future.