Are PB events merely a ‘beauty contest’, where the cutest bids win through, irrespective of quality?
In community grants/small grant pot style events, community group bidders are usually asked to present their ideas to an audience of residents.
This can risk the ‘Awww’ factor, where eg cute children win out over equally, or more worthwhile projects, presented by less immediately appealing bidders. This effect can be minimised by effective audience briefing beforehand. Also, over time, residents become ‘wiser’ in terms of their voting choices, and in any case well understand the actual needs of their own communities. The genuine sense of community and empowerment experienced at these events is an important consideration to set against issues of ‘presenter bias’.
