ABSTRACT

Participatory budgeting establishes “new public spheres” (Hordijk 2009, 45) with the capacity to increase dialogue between citizens and government representatives. Positive and recurrent discourse between citizens and government officials is critical to sound government administration (Stivers 2001) in a democracy (Barber 2003). Participatory budgeting, like other citizen engagement activities, promises both citizen and government participants a meaningful opportunity to become “coproducers” of public goods and services (Stivers 1990). Such co-production does not occur spontaneously; positive relationships are not formed simply when government officials invite citizens to participate in the local government budgeting process. Collaboration requires space (Amey and Brown 2004).