What is the role of the third sector, universities and professionals in participatory budgeting?
All of these sectors provide invaluable support, guidance and momentum to PB, both locally and nationally. Locally the community and voluntary sector is key to supporting individuals and groups in putting forward ideas or projects, and in providing the groundswell of people to participate in making decisions.
Academics have been important nationally and internationally in undertaking research into PB which as ultimately provided the evidence needed to maintain and develop the credibility of the approach. Academics will continue to provide this as they are best placed to answer some of the questions that practitioners are both too busy and too involved to answer fully.
Professionals support PB in a number of ways. Whether they be associates and consultants providing training, facilitation and support to practitioners, or whether they be providing training to individuals and groups locally to give good presentations or help monitor and feedback process. Videographers have been instrumental in capturing and relaying the process through video, often a more important tool in convincing the sceptics than any number of reports or evaluations.
