Participatory Budgeting in Pune: "My City, My Money"? : An NGO Perspective on Inclusion and Participation

Abstract: Since the development and implementation of Participatory Budgeting (PB) as a democratic process adhering to civic improvement demands through municipal budget allocations, it promised great potential as a governance tool. Its core intentions are inclusion, participation and the redistribution of wealth to serve vulnerable members of society. Since India has the second greatest unequal wealth distribution in the world, the implementation of PB seemed promising. Surprisingly, however, Pune is currently the only city with an actively utilized PB mechanism, which indicates various inefficiencies, discrepancies and intentional dualities, resulting in exclusion, low participation and the misappropriation of resources. The purpose and intentions of PB are therefore ultimately reversed, however still it is still labeled as PB due to the lack of a standardized and recognized PB definition. This study utilizes in-depth interviews and data sources provided by various members of the two Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) currently or previously active in PB in Pune. The outcome is a clear depiction of the NGO perspective upon the core intentions of PB, identifying two main hurdles to participation, which remains unattested due to a lack of governmental will. Contributions are made through the development of a definition, the expansion of existing participation theory in the unique context of governmental resistance in a developing country and practical recommendations for the city of Pune.