The Role of Media in Participatory Budgeting

Abstract

Governments are falling short of meeting people’s expectations on participation, representation and responsiveness. Feelings of discontent and cynicism towards the political system are growing particularly in developed countries. A large body of normative-driven research influencing policy initiatives and agendas, promotes participatory and deliberative models of democracy. Under these models, citizens are more often and more closely associated with policy-making through democratic innovations, namely tools and processes supporting citizens’ engagement and participation in policy-making as a remedy to the ‘malaise’ of representative democracy. In this context the media are assumed to be an important institution for supporting and promoting democratic innovations. However, the study of journalism’s role in this direction has not been addressed in the relevant literature. Using Participatory Budgeting (PB) as a popular example of democratic innovations, the present report investigates the role of journalism in promoting PB.