This high-level panel brings together a group of leading politicians from Sweden, Spain, and Ukraine to share their personal stories on the value of letting people decide over the municipal budget. What are their motivations? Why do they believe in participatory budget? What are the limitations and what can be achieved?
Letting people participate and decide on how public funds should be spent can contribute to more democratic engagement. It can create a stronger link between citizens and local politicians leading to more accountability and transparency. Participatory budgets originally coined in the city of Porto Alegre in Brazil at the end of 1990s have been used for a long time in different parts of the world and few experiments have been conducted in Sweden and Ukraine. However, participatory budget requires politicians who can share power with their citizens. Why are some local politicians actively supporting participatory budgeting while many others don’t?
Date: 27 May 2021
Time: 12:00 – 13:00 (CEST) / 13:00-14:00 (Time i Ukraine UTC+3)
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About Local Democracy Talks
Inspired by the Swedish foreign policy initiative, “Drive for Democracy”, ICLD organises live streamed high-level political panels called “Local Democracy Talks”. The aim of the talks is to create a constructive dialogue and exchange of experiences among leading local politicians to strengthen democratic governance. These talks are key in our efforts to make democracy resilient and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals from below. The talks are facilitated by ICLD and arranged in cooperation with Swedish Embassies, UCLG and other key partners.