Participatory Budgeting in Asia

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Participatory Budgeting in Asia

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The chapter examines the use ofparticipatory budgeting by subnational governments in Bangladesh,India,Indonesia,the Philippines,and Thailand.1 In some ofthese countries,participatory budgeting was initiated by the government.In others,local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) or third parties initiated the process.Some ofthe efforts described aim to improve transparency and accountability,others seek to provide citizens with direct participation in public decision making.Some operate in the formulation phase ofthe budget cycle,others engage in participative monitoring and even auditing.

Do the case studies provide evidence ofbenefits from participation? Ifso,can useful conclusions be drawn about necessary and supporting factors for replicating such initiatives elsewhere?

To answer these questions,the chapter begins by showing how participatory budgeting can enhance development.It then reviews the Asian context,examining how broad trends ofdemocratization, decentralization,and participatory practices have played out in the five case study countries.The third section describes the types of participatory budgeting initiatives and examines how well they performed in each ofthe five countries.The fourth section draws lessons from the Asian experience.The last section draws conclusions about participatory budgeting based on the case studies.