View source for Participatory Budget in Recife, Brazil

'''* Article: Qui participe à quoi ? Le budget participatif à Recife. Paul Cary. Revue du MAUSS 2005/2 (no 26), pages 211 à 230'''

URL = https://www.cairn.info/revue-du-mauss-2005-2-page-211.htm

Source: [[Mauss Review 26 on Alternative Democracy and Alternative Economy]]


=Summary=

From the reading notes of Michel Bauwens, 2006:

PC notes that the left mayor lost out in Porto Alegre, after years in power, and it is not clear which continuity would still exist. So Recife, a very unequal city, is chosen as example for the participatory budget.


The seven phase process is quite complex:

- 1) it starts with local general assemblies where 3 out of 10 priorities must be chosen
    
- 2) delegates are chosen to work on detaling the implementation
    
- 3) cross-local thematic conferences are held
    
- 4) a smaller number of coordinators are elected to present the budget to the city
    
- 5) objective criteria are then used for regional allocation of project fundings
    
- 6) the city can use some rules to slow projects (no bigger increase than 25% per year, feasibility studies)


NGO's are quite critical of the process. While they say it is because they fear an institutionalization of their role, their critics claim it is because they lose power. Others claim such  a budget is too plebiscitary, creating a relation between city and the people which bypasses organizations.

Analysts agree that, whatever their limits, the effect has been redistributive. According to the 'Cabannes' study, there are 250 such projects worldwide. 


It's three principles are:
    
- 1) all citizens can directly participate
    
- 2) participation is based on a mix of direct and delegative democracy
    
- 3) monies are divided based on objective criteria


The process is a blend of representative and participative democracy, integrating the latter in the former, but usually initiated by the former. Analysts disagree to which degree it was created by social struggles, and  is an expression of social movements, or was an initiative of politicians and therefore an expression of institutionalization. Some say that without the former, the latter cannot function well (= no strong process is possible without the the pressure from social movements).

Others criticize the factional mobilization by intermediary actors such as parties (PT), and NGO's. In reality, deliberation is always weak, it's more a questions of voting for pre-selected options.

=French-language abstract=

Start of the intro:

"La défaite de Raul Pont à Porto Alegre, après seize années de présence ininterrompue du Parti des travailleurs (PT) à la tête de la mairie, sonne comme un avertissement. Certains analystes avaient déjà perçu des signes d’essoufflement de la procédure du budget participatif (OP) dans la capitale du Rio Grande do Sul, mais les têtes pensantes du PT n’avaient pas imaginé un scénario de défaite. Néanmoins, le nouveau maire José Fogaça a garanti qu’il ne remettrait pas en cause la procédure qui a fait la réputation de la ville. Car il faut revenir quelque peu en arrière : on a beaucoup parlé de l’OP. Le quasi-unanimisme à son égard a pu se révéler agaçant : si même ses adversaires politiques (la droite brésilienne) lui reconnaissent des vertus, c’est certainement qu’il a dû laisser de côté ses aspects les plus subversifs. Cette défaite électorale fait que des capitales qui s’y étaient converties (Belo Horizonte, Recife) se sont proposées pour accueillir le Forum social mondial, car certains mouvements altermondialistes seraient peu enclins à rester dans une ville où s’est faite une transition politique qui ne leur convient guère. (Il faudra analyser de près le contenu de la continuité dans laquelle le nouveau maire de Porto Alegre entend s’inscrire.) Notre analyse de l’OP n’ignorera pas les hypothèses, conclusions et débats nés à Porto Alegre ; néanmoins, elle se basera sur l’étude du fonctionnement de la procédure à Recife, capitale du Pernambouc."

[[Category:Bauwens Reading Notes Project]]
[[Category:Peerfunding]]
[[Category:Brazil]]
[[Category:Participation]]