PB Unit speaking at 9th World e-democracy Forum

Europe and the challenges of e-government 2.0

Participatory budgeting is a method to involve ordinary citizens in the
decision-making process of allocating municipal or public budgets.
Proponents of this method suggest that this involvement leads to more
sustainable and equitable public spending, increased governmental
transparency and accountability and creates stronger links between
citizens and (local) government.

While participatory budgeting is already quite established in different
municipalities in South America and especially in Brazil, more and more
European governments are currently experimenting with this participatory
instrument. In some cases, like e.g. the cities of Hamburg and Freiburg
(Germany) or the city of Belo Horizonte (Brazil), participatory budgeting
has been supported by ICT and web based systems.

The round table discussion will focus on questions whether the Internet is
likely to increase the quality and the acceptance of participatory budgeting
and what are the specific strengths and weaknesses of eParticipation
solutions in this domain.

Presenters:
Andre Herzog, The World Bank, (asked)
Dr. Dieter Salomon, Mayor of the city of Freiburg
Tiago Peixoto, European University Institute
Phil Teece, UK PB Unit

Chair: Rolf Lührs, TuTech Innovation GmbH, coordinator PEP-NET.eu