Selecting the Right Software for Supporting Participatory Budgeting in Local Government – Reviewing Suitable Solutions

Abstract

Participatory Budgeting (PB) empowers the constituents to decide on how to spend a part of the public money. The citizens create proposals, which are then (if they are within the given rules of the PB) voted on by the public. It is believed that PBs strengthen democracy and increase the efficiency of public spending. Information and communication technology (ICT) can support these PB initiatives. There are several software solutions available for implementing a PB. However, picking the right solution is far from an easy task as the solutions are as diverse as the needs and possible requirements of administrations. This paper scrutinizes different solutions in aiming to provide support for aspiring municipalities in selecting the right PB software. The following work sheds light on the differences between the available software solutions. First, we shortly describe the applications and then lay out the tested capabilities of the software. Afterward, we show the fulfillment level of these capabilities and present an excel tool for making individual, informed decisions. The paper is concluded with a description of the tool selection process in two Finnish municipalities.