Implications of Participatory Budgeting on Social Justice: Some Theoretical Considerations.

Participatory budgeting (PB) is a novel way to understand the ways in which local projects are funded. Citizens engage in direct participation at every level of the project from designing, evaluating, modifying, and eventually disbursing funds. In short, PB is a fair and practical way for citizens to participate in direct democracy, rather than passive engagement through voting and waiting for elected officials to render a decision. In addition, due to its commitment to community-based philosophy, PB represents a radical move toward social justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]