Why use participatory budgeting and not other participatory methods?

PB is not a universal panacea to the problems of local democracy and poor public services. It is not a replacement for traditional representative democracy or other forms of local partnership, community development and participation.  It should always operate with and alongside other processes. But PB is unique in its focus on public budgets, community development and on direct democracy. Creating authority wide processes, and also establishing regular and repeating engagement around an annual cycle of participation. PB reconnects citizens with their local authorities through its core focus on the three inter-related issues of transparent local taxation, broad democratic engagement and effective public expenditure.