Is Participatory Budgeting Understood Enough by Citizens in Terms of Being Reachable for Them?

Abstract

This study focuses mainly on participatory budgeting issues, citizen budget education; informing citizens about public investments/projects; community needs; employee performance; the quality of public services provided. The above issues, and especially the relationship between local leaders and citizens, are a good indicator to assess how local governance and citizens are moving in the same direction and to what extent is this inverse fulfillment of expectation. This relationship is expressed in terms of an unclear and incomplete perception of the ratio between what citizens pay in the form of local taxes and public services provided by the Municipality. This fact, mainly related to the expectations of citizens from local government for the use/management of the local budget, highlights the gap between the two parties involved in this process. It is evident the lack of a budgetary education from citizens and the need to orient and clarify citizens on this process, the importance it has for direct involvement of citizens and prioritization of community needs. The article concludes: in order to bring local government closer to citizens and the community, aiming at maximizing the fulfillment of the principle of “subsidiary” of local self-government, the Participatory Budgeting process should be done more inclusive and accessible to citizens.