The Systemic Turn and Participatory Budgeting: The Case of Rio Grande do Sul. Issue 1 (9th February 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Legard, Sveinung; Goldfrank, Benjamin
• Is Part Of: Journal of Latin American studies. Volume 53:Issue 1(2021)
• Page Start: 161
• Page End: 187
• Publication Date: 2021-02-09
• Subjects: participatory democracy, -- deliberative democracy, -- participatory budgeting, -- Brazil; democracia participativa, -- democracia deliberativa, -- presupuesto participativo, -- Brasil; democracia participativa, -- democracia deliberativa, -- orçamento participativo, -- Brasil; Latin America -- Periodicals; 980
• DOI: 10.1017/S0022216X20000954
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0022-216X

Abstract

Abstract: Participatory budgeting (PB) has been one of the most popular local democratic reforms in Latin America in recent decades. This article examines what happened to PB when it was scaled up to the state level and integrated in a participatory system in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil (2011–14). Using theories of deliberative systems, multichannel participation, 'venue shopping' (the practice of seeking the most favourable policy venue) and countervailing power, as well as a multimethod research design, we explain how the systems approach allowed for both deliberation and direct democracy and mobilised new sectors to participate online. However, on the negative side, the different participation channels undermined each other. Social movements migrated to other spaces, leaving the budgeting process open to control by well-established, powerful public-sector groups.