Administrative Reform

44 Brian Wampler

tosecure funding for projects.A neighborhood business association that wants to have streets paved or lighting installed,for example,would have to organize its members to attend meetings to press their demands.

Administrative Reform

While the reform ofbureaucracy was not initially considered to be a vital element ofparticipatory budgeting programs,it has emerged as an unintendedconsequence that strongly influences the success ofthe process. Participatory budgeting contributes to administrative reform in three ways.

The first is by decentralizing the administration.This tends to start with the physical decentralization ofthe municipal administration,as branch or regional offices are established.Branch offices provide citizens direct and easy access to government and administrative officials.This is especially important in outlying neighborhoods,where the poorest residents tend to live.Meetings are held at the neighborhood level rather than in the city center, which makes it easier for citizens to overcome time and financial costs long identified as barriers to participation.

The decentralization ofdecision-making venues is also an important step.Decisions are no longer made by a small group ofpolitical and technical elites located within the confines ofthe city government but in public forums at the local level.This provides citizens with unprecedented access to professional and technocratic bureaucrats.Citizens are able to work with these bureaucrats to navigate the complex world ofpolicy making.

Decentralization allows for targeted information to be provided to relevant groups.Through the branch offices,technocrats develop better ideas ofthe types ofinformation participants need to make informed choices.For example,citizens who live in a mountainous region may need information about drainage and water flows;citizens in the urban center may require information about the costs and complexities ofoverhauling decaying infrastructure.

The second way in which participatory budgeting contributes to administrative reform is by integrating different bureaucratic units into the policy-making and implementation processes.Administrative agencies, such as the departments ofhealth or education,cannot operate as isolated units within the participatory budgeting process.They must work closely with the planning agency and with participatory budgeting participants to define their policy agendas.New investments cannot generally be undertaken without the explicit approval ofparticipatory budgeting participants. This requires different departments to work with community leaders to