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Participatory Budgeting in Cordoba, Spain

A recent piece, published in Re-public describes the PB process in Cordoba, Spain. The Cordoba process is well-documented and is known throughout Europe as an example of a successful process.

"The Gay Bathroom Controversy" and the PB

A small story has been circulating in the internet about the controversy in the small town of Pombos, in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. The actual controversy involves project for a public bathroom for travestis (cross-dressers) is going to be discussed at the next PB Council meeting in the town. The issue, according to a travesti advocacy group is that cross-dressers face recrimination when using women's or men's bathrooms. In fact, there have been numerous documented instances of violence against cross-dressers using public bathrooms throughout Brazil.
This appears, on the face of it, to be a human rights issue and an issue of workers' rights (as some of the street-walking described in the news pieces implies sex work). It seems like the kind of project that PB ought to bring to the fore - by bringing in traditionally disenfranchised into decision-making, the boundaries of discussion ought to be expanded, and controversy should occasionally be an outcome. What is surprising is that relatively few such instances have been noted in the literature on PB. We'll follow this news story if more is published.

PB Session at Africities Summit

On September 20th in Nairobi there will be a PB session as part of the Africities Summit: "Participatory Budgeting: Building Inclusiveness in Policy Making and Municipal Finance for the Implementation of the Millennium Development Goals"

For additional information, see the session announcement or contact George Matovu at gmatovu(at)mdpafrica(dot)org(dot)zw

PB in England

The PB Unit, a British NGO supported by the Office of the Prime Minister and Oxfam, has recently sent out one of their E-Newsletters that describes, among other things, a couple of PB-like efforts underway in the UK. By going on their site, above, it is possible to sign up for regular E-Newsletters, and to link to a number of resources about PB and about their work.

We copy below the excerpt about one of their projects.

Keighley residents to decide on spending priorities for their neighbourhoods using Neighbourhood Renewal budget

Residents in Keighley are to decide on the spending priorities for improving their areas using money from the Neighbourhood Renewal budget. Bradford Vision, supported by the PB Unit, is developing its own model of PB in which local people will choose priorities from the Local Strategic Partnership’s 7 themes and propose projects to improve their area. Their priorities will shape the budget of the Stage 3 Neighbourhood Renewal / Neighbourhood Action Planning allocation and an assembly of local people will decide which projects to implement. Service providers and local initiatives will be commissioned to carry out the projects, monitored by a group of local delegates from the assembly.

Keighley Participatory Budgeting is the latest development in Bradford Vision’s work to involve local people in spending decisions, where local people have already come together to decide how to spend £700k on environmental improvements. A video of a past Bradford Vision PB event can be seen at www.bradfordvision.net/forum.php

Porto Alegre's PB continues to deteriorate

A recent story posted on CIDADE's website gives credence to the notion that Porto Alegre's PB has not been the same since the PT left power in the city, official versions of events nonwithstanding. It describes chaos and confusion and a constant climate of unproductive conflict at the COP - the highest tier of the PB, at the last two meetings of the council. But more shocking to Porto Alegre watchers are the reports of the city government's malfeasance with regards to the PB - for example, producing two versions of the city budget, one to be discussed at the PB, and another (one presumes more correct) version to be discussed at city council. Unfortunately Porto Alegre's newspapers were never big fans of the PB in the first place so we don't have news coverage of these events. But these, and other reports like it, do confirm the suspicion that the PB under the new administration has maintained little more than the formalities of the process, as discussed by Daniel Chavez in Red Pepper.

Our Communities, Our Water

A forum on Water Privatization, Our Communities, Our Water: Connecting the Local and The Global will be held at UMASS Amherst on Sept 22-24, organized by Mass Global Action, in partnership with several sponsoring organizations, including Alliance for Democracy. The keynote speaker is Frances Moore Lappe, on Saturday. For the press release, see this link.

E-Forum on Participation and Social Control in the Management of Water and Sanitation Public Services

Participation and Social Control in the Management of Water and Sanitation Public Services
September 11 through 29th 2006
Hosted by: CESU and Center for Water
Promoted by CGIAB/IC/CONCERTAR

At the site: www.aguabolivia.org

Background
In a continuous effort to create spaces of debate over issues that we consider important, CGIAB CESU/Center for Water are organizing an Electronic Forum on the issue of Participation and Social Control in the Management of Water and Sanitation Public Services. This forum will have an emphasis on the case of the public water company; SEMAPA, in Cochabamba, Bolivia, yet will also include references to the case of the new water company in El Alto and La Paz, to foster broader national and international interest and participation.
The principal thematic focuses of this e-forum will be presented in a National Seminar in which various academic and activist organizations will participate to critique the current models of social control developed in Cochabamba and El Alto/La Paz and work to create a comprehensive proposal on how to improve the current practices.

How to participate:
Registration Form: (please complete and send to: ida@aguabolivia.org)
1. Full Name
2. Profession
3. Organization or Institution
4. City and Country
5. Email Address
6. Background Information and Research Interests