Conclusions

Conclusions

Participatory Budgeting in Asia 187

The Asian case studies suggest that civic participation mechanisms can improve development outcomes while improving the quality ofthe citizen-state relationship.Whether initiatives are successful depends both on factors in the environment in which an initiative develops and on the design and implementation ofthe initiative itself.The maturity ofthe political system and the nature of the political culture in a country or local area are a determining environmental factor for the type ofparticipation initiative that is likely to be effective.

In settings where public actors are willing to listen to citizen voice and the local political culture is driven by public policy issues,well-designed mechanisms that allow civil society direct access to and participation in public decision making have the greatest impact on policy decisiveness,accountability,democratic practice,and trust in government.The case studies of Suan Mon and Huai-Kapi TAOs in Thailand belong in this category.Program initiators have more scope for selecting the type and level ofparticipation than initiators who face different conditions.

Conditions ofgreatest risk in terms ofparticipation occur where initiatives draw citizens into the state action space when the political culture is not policy based and local officials and office holders have no real interest or incentive to align policy and spending with citizen preferences.In these contexts such types ofparticipation can be counterproductive.The Bangladeshi and Indonesian case studies operate in this area.They manage these risks by providing external funding and bypassing state structures where it matters—in managing the money.Village-level participation structures in both cases have authority over project funds.While this may yield short-term benefits,the sustainability ofsuch initiatives is not certain.Effective longterm engagement can occur only ifsufficient local taste and capacity for participation are built to change the overall environment so that the political and governance context forces state actors to engage substantively.

Citizens’own initiatives to improve public transparency and the accountability ofstate actors can yield successful results,even in environments in which citizens may not have immediate effect.The MKSS,CCAGG, and DISHA/Pathey case studies illustrate how citizens who are thoroughly prepared and work through coalitions can push their way into the public space and demand a hearing.Such initiatives can also transform the participatory environment from one in which state actors are unwilling to engage with citizens to one in which they have little choice but to do so.Success depends largely on selecting the correct entry point and carefully designing and implementing projects in order to maximize citizen participation.