Participatory urban governance: Participatory urban governance: innovations from Latin Americainnovations from Latin America

Innovations from Latin America

Dr. Michaela Hordijk, University of Amsterdam

Structure of the LectureStructure of the Lecture

Introducing Participatory Budgeting (PB)Introducing Participatory Budgeting (PB) Watching PB (Video Beyond Elections)Watching PB (Video Beyond Elections) Revisiting Urban Governance – wrap up Revisiting Urban Governance – wrap up

last weeklast week Governance and citizenship: contrasting Governance and citizenship: contrasting

NPM and Radical democracyNPM and Radical democracy The Brazilian exampleThe Brazilian example

Discussing PB Discussing PB

Participatory Budgetring: The story

PT wins elections in Porto Alegre Some data about Porto Alegre

• Capital of richest state of Brazil• High HDI-indicators• But also poverty

Strong civil society Special PT-cadre

• PT-CSO ideals

Participatory BudgetingParticipatory Budgeting

Introduced in 1989Introduced in 1989 A process by which citizens, A process by which citizens,

either as individuals or either as individuals or through civic associations through civic associations may voluntarily and may voluntarily and regularly participate in the regularly participate in the decision making over at decision making over at least a part of a public least a part of a public budget through and annual budget through and annual series of scheduled series of scheduled meetings with government meetings with government authorities”authorities”

(Goldfrank 2007)(Goldfrank 2007)

PB Basic principles and procedures

Divide the territory and select themes Assign a budget – predefined criteria Convene a series of meetings to discuss

project proposals and vote for priorities Elect PB-delegates that form PB council PB council develops final budget, oversees

the implementation of the PB-decision, exercises quality control over the projects, proposes changes in the rules of the game if necessary.

Schneider & Baquero 2006 Get What You Want, Give What You Can: Embedded Public Finance in Porto Algre, IDS working paper 266

Invited or negotiated space?

Source: Baierle 2007: SHOOT THE CITIZEN, SAVE THE CUSTOMER:PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING AND BARE CITIZENSHIP, 28 Sept 2007 The Hague

Source: Baierle 2007: SHOOT THE CITIZEN, SAVE THE CUSTOMER:PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING AND BARE CITIZENSHIP, 28 Sept 2007 The Hague

Achievements of PB in POAAchievements of PB in POA

Material: Increased investments in poor neighbourhoods More basic needs met Investments geared towards priorities of the poor Increased tax-revenuesNon Material Redistributive Bridging the gap between governors and the

governed Citizens involvement, “citizens school” Reduces clientelism and corruption Support for “pro poor policies” by the middle and

to a certain extent upper class.

223 84.549.892 14,8 (33) 30,9 (69) 17,1 43,4

Source: Baierle 2007: SHOOT THE CITIZEN, SAVE THE CUSTOMER:PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING AND BARE CITIZENSHIP, 28 Sept 2007 The Hague

Re-cap last weeks lecture

Basic issues in Urban Governance What role does government play? What role do citizen organisations play? What ‘spaces’ exist as interface?

• ‘invited spaces’ – government activated• ‘Popular spaces’ – citizen dominated• ‘Negotiated spaces’ – interface citizen action

and local government Who is included and excluded?

Recap Urban Governance - Baud

From government to governance From provider to enabler

• Relations with non-state actors – private sector/ civil society

• Participatory decision-making • State is enabler; non-state agencies

providers

Revisiting Lecture Sayed

Governance = Distinct from government, government is

agent, In origin governance means to steer –

steering policies and mechanisms Governance is a more encompassing

terms which subsume government and refer to Institutions, rules and norms for developing policies, implementing them and for accountability

‘Rules of the game’

Revisit Sayed

Governance: whose agenda• Usually associated with work of WB and

development agencies• Rooted in a concern with making aid

effective• Attempt to redress systemic institutional

failures and problems to make service delivery effective

Taken up in more recent times by other IO and regional organisations

Sayed Revisited

Devolution to lower /local levels Decentralization to local levels Increase choice and competition

-> Privatisation and marketisation

Urban Governance DefinedUrban Governance Defined

““The relationship between The relationship between ‘government’ and “citizen”. ‘government’ and “citizen”.

““The interactive relationship The interactive relationship betweenbetween and and within within government and non-government and non-governmental forces” (Stoker 1998)governmental forces” (Stoker 1998)• Sound administration and management on

behalf of citizens (NPM) –• Citizens involvement in decision making and

governments accountability (EPG- Fung and Wright) radical (Heller) or deliberative democracy (Baiocchi)

From lecture Pfeffer and Martinez

Remember: Better governance implies that policy

makers and the public sector are aware of the needs and differences within the civil society, being equity one of governance elements. • But: what is BETTER governance?

NPM or Radical democracy?

Urban Governance -2

“The institutions and processes, both formal and informal, which provide for the interaction of the state with a range of other agents or stakeholders affected by the activities of government” (Gaventa 2001)• Please remember that the state is NOT an Please remember that the state is NOT an

homogeneous entity -> there are many homogeneous entity -> there are many conflicting interests WITHIN the state.conflicting interests WITHIN the state.

NPM or Participatory – Baud

Sound administration on behalf of the citizens or radical democracy

New public management issues: • Decentralisation; greater role for city

government• Privatisation of basic services• More effective public administration, tax

collection All meant to increase (cost) efficiency and

effectiveness• But what about “the citizen”

Citizenship – Baud revisited

Citizens defined as people with particular rights

Political rights, socio-economic rights Democratic processes:

• Representation through political parties,voting – representative democracy

• Direct participation through civil society org. OR by individuals DIRECT DEMOCRACY

• Advocacy through interest groups

Citizenship - Baud Hollow citizenship – unequal rights and

entitlements

Lack of vertical accountability – governments

Weak horizontal accountability – bureaucrats

Shrinking International accountability – global companies, global markets, international organisations

Citizenship in Liberalism

The human being is selfish

Rational economic man State necessary to

maintain “common – wealth” (hence: commonwealth)

State a necessary evil

Thomas Hobbes

1588-1679

Citizenship in Liberalism

Primacy of the individual and individual freedom

Equality before the law

Marshall Gradual expansion of civil-

social-political rights because the expansion of capitalism needed this T.H. Marshall

1893-1981

Citizenship in Neoliberalism

“Citizenship is about individual integration into the market”

“Citizenship” = a passive notion Citizens express their preferences

through market choices and voting Citizen = consumer/client

Citizenship in Latin America

Oxhorn:- Vast expansion of political rights due

to (re) democratization/3rd wave of democratization- Specifically free and fair elections

- Precarious civil rights- Erosion of social rights as a

consequence of neo-liberalism- “Daily experience of non-citizenship”

Citizenship according to Freire

Paolo Freire (1921 -1997) Conscientisation Humanisation Empowerment

Freedom = confronting reality as we find it and transform it

We are all co-creators of the world We are all unfinished, and can only

reach our full potential in relation to others and to the world.

Conclusions PB embodies many elements of the traditional

(neo-liberal) good governance agenda• Accountability, transparency, reduction of corruption.• Citizens participation

PB is built on an image of human nature fundamentally different from the liberal/neo-liberal paradigm.• Radical democratisation of SOCIETY - > participatory

decision making in ALL institutions.• Empowerment and self-realisation of the human being

PB on its own is not capable of countering effects of (neo-liberal) globalisation at the local level, but can create critical mass.

Source: Baierle 2007

Source: Baierle 2007