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Проект программы Interreg BSR «Расширение возможностей бюджетирования на основе участия граждан в регионе Балтийского Моря» (EmPaci)

Проект программы Interreg BSR «Расширение возможностей бюджетирования на основе участия граждан в регионе Балтийского Моря» (EmPaci)

2021-12-29

NEWS FROM RUSSIA

Video lectures on Participatory Budgeting in Russian

Together with experts from North-West Institute of Management, branch of Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), we have prepared, conducted, recorded and made available to you at EmPaci's YouTube channel four video lectures on the following topics:

Why involve citizens in the decision-making process 
City laboratories as a mechanism for the involvement of citizens
Instructions for Use Mechanisms and Practices for Citizen Engagement 
Dialogue between municipality and citizens 


2021-11-29

NEWS FROM RUSSIA

Brochure and Study Guide on Participatory Budgeting (62 pages each in English and Russian) were developed in cooperation with Otmetky.com (now Urbanpinion).

Brochure on Participatory Budgeting in English is available for download here
Study Guide on Participatory Budgeting in Russian is available for download here


2021-11-17

NEWS FROM RUSSIA

Partners have prepared the Green Mobility Handbook: People to Cities, including information about the project and its results in English and Russian.

Green Mobility Handbook: People to Cities is available for download here


2021-10-22

NEWS FROM RUSSIA

The Communication and Dissemination Plan is in Russian.

The joint efforts of the Russian partners resulted in the translation of the Communication and Dissemination Plan (Project Output 3.1.1.) into Russian.

CDP in Russian is available for download here


2021-10-15

NEWS FROM MUNICIPALITY MOSKOVSKAYA ZASTAVA

Russian partners of the project ”Empowering Participatory Budgeting in the Baltic Sea Region»  (EMPACI) ITMO University and the Council of Municipalities of St. Petersburg have translated and released the "Guidelines for Organizing Communication with Citizens in the process of Initiative Budgeting", prepared by the partners of the EmPaci project.

Vsevolod Belikov, Chairman of the Council of Municipalities of St. Petersburg, notes: "This is a publication that describes models of initiative budgeting, as well as gives specific recommendations for involving citizens in determining priorities of budget policy and spending resources of municipalities.

The quintessence of interesting foreign experiences presented in the book will be extremely useful. After all, proactive budgeting is not an end in itself. This is an opportunity to strengthen a permanent, honest and open dialogue with our residents and attract citizens to constructive participation in solving local issues.

The guideline was widely distributed among state authorities, municipalities of St. Petersburg and throughout Russia, and also presented during the XIX Annual Strategic Planning Leaders Forum 2020-2021 (Forum Strategov).


2021-09-22

NEWS FROM MUNICIPALITY MOSKOVSKAYA ZASTAVA

How to make your yard well-groomed and safe? On September 22, 2021, meetings were held with residents in the pilot municipality Moskovskaya Zastava as part of the second cycle of the initiative budgeting of the international project "Empowering Participatory Budgeting in the Baltic Sea Region" (EMPACI)”

The playground, equipped in the courtyard in 2012, was annually "attacked" by vandals, and benches installed around the perimeter were chosen by persons with low social responsibility, actually turning the courtyard into an open-air cafe.

According to residents, there is no need to equip a playground in their yard. It is better to make a green square. But before starting to renovate the yard again, it is necessary, as residents insist, to first restore order. And the first step in this direction has already been taken. According to the appeal of local self-government bodies, the yard on Kuznetsovskaya, 46 is included in the city program "Safe City". The second step is to achieve the installation of lanterns around the perimeter of the site. And until then, organize regular patrolling of the yard by law enforcement agencies.

– It is possible to solve this issue only jointly: by the forces of the municipality, the district, law enforcement agencies and active residents, - summed up the discussion, the head of the Moscow Zastava Defense Ministry, Yuri Dokukin. – We plan to invite representatives of the leadership of the 29th police department and the administration of the Moskovsky district to the next meeting. Of course, it will not be possible to quickly restore order in this yard. But we already have an understanding of how to effectively build work in this direction.


2021-05-20

NEWS FROM MUNICIPALITY MOSKOVSKAYA ZASTAVA

The second cycle of initiative budgeting has been launched in the municipality of Moskovskaya Zastava within the framework of the international project "Empowering Participatory Budgeting in the Baltic Sea Region" (EMPACI)”

Moskovskaya Zastava has begun a new stage of collecting proposals, initiatives and wishes within the framework of the EMPACI initiative budgeting project.

To participate,  citizens must fill out a questionnaire, bring it to the municipality or send it by e-mail.

Initiatives may be different within the powers of local self-government bodies not only on landscaping, but also in other areas of activity.

On the main page of the municipality website, a vote was organized for the choice of the landscaping concept on the territory located at 46 Kuznetsovskaya Street, 27 Sveaborgskaya Street, 25 Sveaborgskaya Street, 23 Sveaborgskaya Street.

The area for the landscaping project is located between garage structures and 46 on the street Kuznetsovskaya. The voting will last until November 15.


2021-05-18

NEWS FROM MUNICIPALITY MOSKOVSKAYA ZASTAVA

A training seminar "ORGANIZATION OF INTERACTION WITH CITIZENS IN SOCIAL NETWORKS" " was held at the Russian National Library within the framework of the international project "Empowering Participatory Budgeting in the Baltic Sea Region" (Empaci)"

The seminar was attended by municipal servants  and heads of municipalities of St. Petersburg

One of the best experts in the field of political SMM, Mikhail Ponomarenko, director of the development of the SMM bureau "Ish, Mish!", gave a master class on all the main areas of communication between municipal authorities and residents in social networks. And Nikita Grishanin, associate professor at the Northwestern Institute of Management of the RANEPA, told in detail and showed what viral technologies are applicable to involve our residents in interaction with the authorities closest to them.

After the seminar, a survey was organized for the participants in order to receive feedback.


2021-04-30

NEWS FROM MUNICIPALITY MOSKOVSKAYA ZASTAVA

Meetings with residents were held in the pilot municipality Moskovskaya Zastava as part of the first cycle of the initiative budgeting of the international project "Empowering Participatory Budgeting in the Baltic Sea Region" (EMPACI)”

The meetings were organized by the head of the municipality both in the premises of the municipal council and in the courtyards.

The meetings were attended by residents of the courtyard, which unites several addresses (Moskovsky, 192-194; Basin, 41,43, 45 and Pobedy, 16,18). This territory was chosen based on the results of a vote of residents for landscaping within the framework of the EmPaci project.

At meetings, residents decided how their yard should change. One of the main problems of this yard concerns lighting. In order to speed up the resolution of the issue that concerns all residents of the yard, the head of the municipality invited the head of the Moskovsky district, a deputy of the Legislative Assembly and the director of Lensvet to meetings.

The residents approved the landscaping project after three discussions. However, even the most modern recreation area is unlikely to please the citizens if the issue of lighting, which means safety, is not resolved.

Landscaping works, as planned, began in the summer, and the issue of lighting will be resolved next year.
Now the first platform is ready. As for the second: numerous approvals in the relevant committees and resource-supplying organizations are finally behind.  Municipality is waiting for the opening of the warrant to begin excavation work. Due to the warm weather, the St. Petersburg Improvement Committee extended the agrotechnical period until mid-November.


2021-04-23

NEWS FROM MUNICIPALITY MOSKOVSKAYA ZASTAVA

Online training seminars within the framework of the international project “Empowering Participatory Budgeting in the Baltic Sea Region” (EmPaci)” were held in St.Petersburg

On April 20, 22 and 23, 2021, the partners of the EmPaci project, ITMO University and the Council of Municipalities of St. Petersburg, organized training seminars for representatives of municipalities of St. Petersburg on the Zoom online platform:

"Modern forms of interaction with citizens".

"Recommendations and conditions for the implementation of yard lighting facilities".

During the seminars, associate professors of the ITMO Institute of Design and Urban Studies Alexandra Nenko and Natalia Bystryantseva  presented information about various online and offline methods of attracting residents of specific territories to participate in the design, as well as about the tasks of lighting design in the landscaping of the yard.


2021-01-25

NEWS FROM MUNICIPALITY MOSKOVSKAYA ZASTAVA

A meeting within the framework of the international project “Empowering Participatory Budgeting in the Baltic Sea Region” (EmPaci) was held in the municipality Moskovskaya Zastava.

At the meeting active and interested residents of Moskovskaya Zastava discussed issues of improvement of the territory, which had been selected for work within the framework of an international project, aimed to increase citizens' involvement in the process of creating a comfortable urban environment. During the meeting, residents expressed their wishes and comments on the improvement projects presented by the head of municipality  Yuri Dokukin.

Project coordinators from the Council of Municipalities and ITMO University told residents about the goals and objectives of the project, as well as presented the best Russian and international practices in the field of participatory budgeting.

Based on the suggestions of residents, priority areas were identified for further development of improvement projects. The cycle of meetings with residents and training sessions will continue in February-March 2021.


2020-12-18

NEWS FROM MUNICIPALITY MOSKOVSKAYA ZASTAVA

On December 14, 2021, a form for submitting ideas for improvement of adjoining territories was published in the newspaper of the local government of the municipal district Moskovskaya Zastava. This started the first cycle of participatory budgeting, which will continue next year and will allow residents of the municipality to take an active part in shaping a comfortable future for their area.

The preparation and launch of this pilot took place with the active participation of all Russian partners of the EmPaci project.

Rietavas by Gintaras Lecas


2020-12-11

NEWS FROM ITMO UNIVERSITY

On December 7-9, ITMO University held an advanced training course on the topic "Digital Urbanism", part of which was the session "Digital Tools for Participatory Budgeting". This training was attended by over 260 representatives of executive authorities and municipalities of the North-West Federal District of the Russian Federation. Materials for the session were prepared by the Russian partners of the EmPaci project using the Project’s training materials. The PB topic interested the audience and communication with the teacher in the form of questions and answers lasted for several days.


 

2020-11-19

NEWS FROM ITMO UNIVERSITY

7th International Annual Conference EGOSE 2020  is organized by the joint efforts of the E-Governance Center of ITMO University and North-West Institute of Management, branch of Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA). The conference aims to address the main issues of concern within the Information Society, e-government, e-governance, and e-democracy. The Conference provides a platform for networking and collaboration of eGovernance experts in the Eurasian area from the whole world.

At the end of the conference program, all Russian EmPaci project partners organized a round table with the aim of acquainting the conference participants and specially invited guests with the goals, progress and results of the EmPaci project, as well as discussing the prospects for the development of PB in Russia.


2020-10-19

NEWS FROM SUOJARVI

As a result of negotiations between the Russian partners of the EmPaci project and the management of the startup "Otmetky.ru", an agreement was reached on cooperation in the joint creation of a web platform for participatory budgeting for the municipality of Suojärvi, Republic of Karelia.

The created platform will provide support for such processes as: Submission of initiatives by, their publication and geo-positioning on the district map, discussion of submitted initiatives with the exchange of arguments, rating voting, publication of decisions made and monitoring of the implementation of approved initiatives.


2020-09-23

NEWS FROM GATCHINA

The Gatchina administration has decided to revise their newly created site "Active Citizen", designed to involve citizens in the city management processes, in order to add the functionality necessary to implement participatory budgeting processes. Methodological support for this refinement will be provided by the Russian partners of the EmPaci project in cooperation with the Autonomous Non-profit Organization "Competence Center of the Leningrad Region" and the North-West Institute of Management of the Academy of National Economy and Public Administration

 


2020-03-10

Newsletter # 01/2020 RU

In Russia the development of Participatory Budgeting (PB) started in 2007 with the emergence of the first practices of citizens' participation in decision making on budget funds spending at the local (municipal) level [1]. First, the World Bank's Program for Supporting Local Initiatives (PSLI) was introduced, then the "Citizen Budget" and "Citizen Initiative" programs were introduced, and in 2012 - "Participatory Budgeting" of the European University in St. Petersburg. In Russia PB activities are supported by the Ministry of Finance. Since 2018 the study of best practices in the development of Participatory Budgeting in the regions and municipalities of the Russian Federation is conducted. The results of the study are represented in the Report, prepared by the Center for Initiative Budgeting at the Financial Research Institute of the Russian Ministry of Finance with the support of the Department of Budget Methodology and Public Sector Financial Reporting [2].

In 2019 the Project “Empowering Participatory Budgeting in the Baltic Sea Region” (EmPaci) was launched in the North-West of Russia within the cooperation programme “Interreg Baltic Sea Region”. The EmPaci project working group conducted the overview of applying the ICT in Participatory Budgeting in the North-West of Russia.

The Table demonstrates the availability of ICT tools at the information resources of Participatory Budgeting (including portals/websites) in the North-Western Federal District of the Russian Federation at each stage of PB projects’ implementation in the region:

  1. Information support of the project/Informing (availability of Internet resource where citizens can get all the necessary information about the project, about the stages of its implementation, ask questions about the initiatives, learn the initiatives, grasp the dynamics of the project, etc.)
  2. Launching the initiatives/proposals (collecting ideas, submitting an application for participation in the project).
  3. Deliberation (public discussion) of the initiatives/proposals (ICT tools for expressing the opinions on initiatives) by Public Council or/and citizens.
  4. Selection the proposals (online voting on proposals).
  5. Monitoring of implementation of the proposals (public control).

The Table also presents the status of the PB practice. Regional projects are marked with the symbol "R", municipal projects are marked by "M". The presence or absence of the tool on the information resource is indicated, respectively, by the signs "+ "or" -".

 

Table. ICT Tools for Citizens Participation on the PB Information Resources in the North-West of Russia

Regions / Municipalities

ICT / Web - Projects

Level

Informing

Launching the Proposals

Deliberation by Public Council

Deliberation by Citizens

Voting

Monitoring

1. Arkhangelsk Region

Portal “The Budget of Your Opportunities”

http://бюджеттвоихвозможностей.рф

R

+

+

+

-

+

+

Information Portal of Arkhangelsk City

http://www.arhcity.ru/?page=2371/0

M

+

-

-

-

-

+

2. Vologda Region

Public Budget - TPC
http://vologda-portal.ru/oficialnaya_vologda/index.php?SECTION_ID=8722

R

+

-

+

-

-

-

Project "Governor's Team: We are Together-Public Budget" https://okuvshinnikov.ru/prog/

R

+

-

-

-

-

+

3. Leningrad Region

Project "I Plan a Budget", in Sosnovy Bor
http://sbor.ru/finance/bd/otkrbud/plan

M

+

+

-

+

VK

+

VK

+

4. Murmansk Region

Ministry of Local Government Development and Interaction with Public Organizations of the Murmansk Region https://mvpmk.gov-murman.ru/

R

+

-

-

-

-

-

Official website of the Murmansk city administration
https://www.citymurmansk.ru/poleznaya_inform/territorialnoe_x/

M

+

-

-

-

-

-

Official website of Aleksandrovsk City
http://www.zato-a.ru/activity/proactive-budgeting/

M

+

-

-

-

-

-

Official website of local governments  of city Kirovsk

https://kirovsk.ru/blago/proactive_budgeting/

M

+

-

-

-

-

-

5. Nenets Autonomous District

Portal of Nenets Autonomous District public authorities
http://smi.adm-nao.ru/iniciativnoe-byudzhetirovanie/

R

+

-

-

-

-

+

6. Novgorod Region

Project “Public Budget” at the Ministry of Finance Website
https://minfin.novreg.ru/proekt-narodnyy-byudzhet.html

R

+

-

-

-

-

-

Project “Public Budget“ at the Borovichi Administration Website
https://www.boradmin.ru/narodnyy-byudzhet.html

M

+

-

-

+
VK

-

+

Project “Public Budget“ of the Panovka

https://vk.com/svbudpnk

M

+

-

-

+
VK

-

+

Project “Public Budget“at the Administration of Okulovka Municipal District Website  http://okuladm.ru/

M

+

-

-

+
VK

-

+

7. Republic of Karelia

Project “Budget for Citizens“

http://budget.karelia.ru/

R

+

-

-

-

-

+

8. Republic of Komi

Project “Public Budget“
https://signal.rkomi.ru/budzhet

R

+
VK

-

-

-

-

-

9. St. Petersburg

Project “Your Budget” (Finance Department)
https://tvoybudget.spb.ru/

R

+
VK
FB

+

-

-

-

+

                   

Notes: VK: Vkontakte - the most popular Russian social network; FB: Facebook - social network

Kaliningrad is preparing to introduce a project on Participatory Budgeting. In 2020, the city administration will conduct a competitive selection of initiative projects for the improvement of public areas, including road transport infrastructure. Call for proposals will be announced in the nearest time. The results will be summed up till April 30, 2020, after which the winning projects will start to be implemented [3].

At the moment, only related PB practices are registered in the Pskov Region. Preliminary events on launching the regional PB programs are planned nearest time [4].

CASES AND PRACTICES

The Project "Your Budget" in Saint-Petersburg

Information about the project is available on the portal of the project "Your Budget" (https://tvoybudget.spb.ru/). The question s about the project can be done in VK and Facebook groups (vk.com/tvbspb; facebook.com/tvoybudget). Work online is conducted in the corresponding group in Vkontakte. The project's information resources contain a schedule of lectures for budget commissions in all districts and their locations. Educational events, like all other meetings of Budget Commissions, are open to everyone.

Project "I Plan a Budget" on the territory of Sosnovy Bor, Leningrad Region (http://sbor.ru/finance/bd/otkrbud/plan)

Information about the work of the Initiative Comission of the project "I Plan a Budget", including discussion of projects proposals, is posted in the Vkontakte group "I plan a budget. Sosnovy Bor" http://vk.com/club51946917. Through the official Vkontakte group (vk.com/sbor.budget) citizens can apply for participation in the project. Information about the project and all events are represented on the official website of the city administration http://sbor.ru/finance/bd/otkrbud/plan . Leading information resources of the city are involved in promoting the project. It should be noted that online voting is taking place in the social network "Vkontakte", in the official group of the project "I Plan a Budget" for the initiatives presented at the "Public Voting".

 
CONCLUSIONS

In the North-Western Federal District of Russian Federation almost all the regions (except the Kaliningrad and Pskov Regions) have implemented Participatory Budgeting practices. In the Kaliningrad Region, the launch of PB projects is planned in 2020. In the Pskov Region, related practices are currently implementing; the realization of PB projects is planned in the nearest time.

In the North-West of Russia all 3 practices of Participatory Budgeting, taking place in Russia, are represented:

  1. Program for Supporting Local Initiatives (PSLI);

  2. "Public Budget" Programs;

  3. Participatory Budgeting (of European University in Saint Petersburg).

As for the use of modern ICT in the implementation of PB projects in the North-Western Federal District of Russian Federation, the following features can be highlighted:

During the Informing stage of PB projects the following resources were used:

  • Specially designed specialized website (portal);

  • Social media pages (groups): Vkontakte, Facebook, Instagram (typical for municipal practices);

  • Pages on the official websites of regional authorities.

The use of the information management system in the form of a separated Internet resource (used in some other regions of Russian Federation) is not presented in the Region.

Often, the available information resources of Participatory Budgeting are used for placing the normative legal acts and reference materials or as an analogue of the media. In some cases, they are used for conducting the surveys. A characteristic feature of the implementation of PSLI in municipal practices is the predominance in the use of traditional mass media in the course of PB projects’ information support.

As for the stages of Public Discussion and Selection the proposals, ICT tools for implementing these functions are not available in most of the PB information resources, presented above. In some municipal practices, deliberation and voting on proposals take place in the appropriate groups in “Vkontakte”. In regional practices, these functions are performed by specialized Councils (or Commissions).

However, there are some examples of inappropriate use of ICT in the implementation of PB practices in the North-Western Federal District of the Russian Federation. In particular, in the Nenets Autonomous District, the use of digital tools at the submission of application stage complicates the procedure (in accordance with the Requirements for submitting an application [5], the applicant for a grant submits to the Department an application for participation in the competition, containing the documents required by the regulations both on paper and in electronic form. Scanned copies of printed documents are submitted electronically [6].

In December 2019, the monitoring of the e-participation online platforms in Russian regions was conducted by e-Governance Center of ITMO University within the project of the Russian Science Foundation. As a result of this study, the information about the activity in the sphere of the development of IT systems for Participatory Budgeting and "Open Budget" in the North- West of Russia was obtained. This information will be provided in the next issue of the newsletter.

 
REFERENCES
  1. Vladimir Vagin: The essence of initiative budgeting is that citizens participate in the selection of projects for which budget funds should be spent [in Russian]. URL: https://otr-online.ru/programmy/ot-pervogo-litsa/vladimir-vagin-sut-23453.html (Date of Access: 07.03.2020).

  2. Best practices in the development of initiative budgeting in the regions and municipalities of the Russian Federation. Report. URL: https://www.oidp.net/docs/repo/doc679.pdf (Date of Access: 09.03.2020).

  3. Initiative budgeting-improvement together [in Russian]. URL: https://www.klgd.ru/press/news/detail.php?ID=3842062 (Date of Access: 07.03.2020).

  4. Belenchuk А.А., Vagin V.V. Report on Best Practice of Initiative Budgeting Development in Subjects of the Russian Federation and Municipalities (2019) [in Russian]. [Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation]. URL: https://m.minfin.ru/common/upload/library/2019/10/main/1070_Doklad.pdf (Date of Access: 08.03.2020).

  5. Requirements for submitting the application [in Russian]. URL: http://smi.adm-nao.ru/iniciativnoe-byudzhetirovanie/trebovaniya-k-zayavke-na-uchastie-v-konkurse/ (Date of Access: 08.03.2020).

  6. Department of Internal Policy of the Nenets Autonomous District [in Russian]. URL: http://smi.adm-nao.ru/iniciativnoe-byudzhetirovanie/ (Date of Access: 08.03.2020).

 Working Group

Andrei V. Chugunov; Vitalina A. Karachay; Dmitrii R. Trutnev (editor). 

 


 

Проект программы Interreg BSR «Расширение возможностей бюджетирования  на основе участия граждан в регионе Балтийского Моря» (EmPaci)

Составление бюджета с участием граждан — это процесс демократического принятия решений, в котором граждане принимают участие в подготовке и принятии муниципального или государственного бюджета. Целью проекта EmPaci является вовлечение большего числа муниципалитетов и мобилизация более широкого круга граждан в процессы инициативного (партиципаторного) бюджетирования за счет оказания экспертной и организационной поддержки повышению потенциала муниципалитетов, транснациональных кластеров и развитию сотрудничества между муниципалитетами и гражданами.

Основным результатом проекта станет наращивание осведомленности о лучших практиках и формирование необходимых компетенций в сфере инициативного бюджетирования (ИБ), а также укрепление отношений между муниципалитетами и гражданами путем предоставления готовых к использованию методик, учебных программ и инструментов для практической реализации ИБ.

Проект Empaci добавляет к общей концепции ИБ несколько инновационных компонентов: выявление специфических требований граждан и формирование концепций внедрения ИБ, уникальных для различных типов муниципалитетов. Пилотные внедрения ИБ будут реализованы и оценены с точки зрения степени удовлетворения специфических потребностей граждан и муниципалитетов. Также, будут сформулированы рекомендации по дальнейшим организационным и нормативным улучшениям и предложены программы обучения, направленные на подготовку муниципальных специалистов, которые будут способны далее распространять знания об успешных практиках внедрения ИБ среди муниципалитетов Региона.

Финансирование зарубежных партнеров проекта EmPaci осуществляется программой Interreg BSR (Регионы Балтийского Моря), а российских партнеров - из российской части бюджета программы, формируемой Минэкономразвития РФ и, в соответствии с Постановлением Правительства Российской Федерации от 3 октября 2018 г. № 1176, это не рассматривается как иностранное финансирование.

Консорциум проекта, возглавляемый Университетом Ростока (Германия) состоит из 17 партнеров из Германии, Польши, Латвии, Литвы, Эстонии и России, а также, нескольких ассоциированных партнеров. Российские партнеры - Университет ИТМО, Совет муниципальных образований Санкт-Петербурга, Некоммерческое Партнерство по развитию информационного общества на Северо-Западе России (ПРИОР СЗ) присоединились к уже одобренному и запущенному проекту в сентябре 2019 г. и продолжат совместную с партнерами работу до июня 2021 г. Координатором российских партнеров выступает Университет ИТМО. Среди российских ассоциированных партнеров, подтвердивших свою заинтересованность в участии в этом проекте: Администрация Петроградского района г.Санкт-Петербург, муниципальное образование Московская Застава г. Санкт-Петербург, Ассоциация центров поддержки малого бизнеса г. Калининград.

Старт проекта – Март 2019. Продолжительность проекта – 30 месяцев.

Координатор российских партнеров проекта EmPaci:

Основные мероприятия реализации пилотного внедрения инициативного бюджетирования в муниципалитете:

  • Информирование заинтересованных представителей Администрации и жителе муниципалитета о существующих практиках, целях и результатах внедрения инициативного бюджетирования (ИБ) в России и в мире;
  • Обсуждение с Администрацией муниципалитета видения и целей внедрения инициативного бюджетирования в конкретном муниципалитете;
  • Формирование и согласование с Администрацией муниципалитета общего плана действий и правил взаимодействия в процессе внедрении ИБ;
  • Проведение обследования готовности муниципалитета к внедрению ИБ:
    1. Изучение имеющихся регламентов и практик формирования бюджета;
    2. Проведение опроса жителей муниципалитета об их понимании и отношению к ИБ;
  • Обсуждение с администрацией муниципалитета возможных моделей ИБ и методов их внедрения и выбор наиболее оптимального варианта;
  • Оказание поддержки внедрению ИБ в муниципалитете в следующем:
    1. Разработка процедур ИБ, обеспечивающих работу выбранной модели;
    2. Разработка, согласование и утверждение необходимых нормативных документов;
    3. Обучение персонала муниципалитета исполнению процедур ИБ;
    4. Информирование и вовлечение жителей муниципалитета в процессы ИБ;
    5. Другие виды поддержки, в зависимости от выбранной модели, методологии и специфических особенностей муниципалитета;
  • Изучение и анализ полученных результатов, эффектов и уроков внедрения ИБ;
  • Организация мероприятий по распространению лучшего опыта внедрения ИБ.

Все вышеперечисленные мероприятия являются предметом обсуждений и могут быть исключены изменены или дополнены в зависимости от выявленных потребностей и результатов договоренностей.


DE-EmPaci

2023-02-16

NEWS FROM BÜTZOW: Proceeding after closure of the EmPaci project

3rd Partcipatory Budget started and 2rd Participatory Budget winning projects implemented

The voting phase for the 3rd participatory budget was started on 1 February 2023. Again, a proposal booklet was printed and distributed to 4,000 Bützow households. The Bützow team is also advertising the vote on Facebook, Instagram and via the city's WhatsApp channel. 
Citizens can vote online until 15 February and then in person at the town hall until 24 February 2023. 

Voting will take place directly on Bützow`s municipal website. The proposal booklet is also embedded as an e-paper. Here is the direct link.

On 1 March 2023 the winning projects will be announced. 

Also the status of implementation of the 2nd participatory budget was publsihed on the city website: Currently, the Bützow team ist preparing to award the contract for the Calisthenics Park planned for the "Park am Schloss". The playground for the rubber path and also the 9 colourful benches from the "Playground flair" proposal are almost ready and are waiting for frost-free weather for installation. 

Further information can be found here.


 

2022-03-14

NEWS FROM BÜTZOW

Evaluation scheme for Participatory Budgeting presented with examples of Bützow

During the last PBbase network meeting, the PB evaluation scheme was presented. The scheme was exemplified with data and key performance indicators of the PB pilot in Bützow.

The English and the German versions can be downloaded here.

 


2022-02-22

NEWS FROM MECKLENBURG-VORPOMMERN

Participatory Budgeting is gaining in importance in Mecklenburg Western Pomerania (MV)!

On the one hand, the framework conditions for participatory budgeting will become more favourable in the future: The coalition agreement of the SPD and Die Linke states: "The coalition partners will modernise the municipal constitution in the following points in order to strengthen life and participation in the municipality. To this end, they will ... examine whether interested municipalities can be supported in introducing participatory budgeting with a guideline from the state."

On the other hand, the municipality of Selmsdorf is the second municipality in MV to introduce a participatory budget based on the model of the city of Bützow. Bützow is the German pilot municipality of the EU-funded InterregBSR project EmPaci initiated and led by the University of Rostock (UR) as lead partner. Bützow has been an active advocate of ParticipatoryBudgeting over the last three years and has continued to be active in the PBbase network since the end of the EmPaci project (December 2021) in order to draw attention to participatory budgeting as an instrument and to pass on the experiences made, but also the documents produced - whether they are relevant legally, for information, training or other purposes - to other potentially interested municipalities. Selmsdorf, for example, used Bützow's participatorybudget statute as a working basis. A very nice success for those who paved the way for the PB in Bützow, such as the city itself and the non-profit Pferdemarktquartier e.V. association.

A further exchange is also possible in the PBbase network via LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/dmj8VnCV

 


2021-11-09

NEWS FROM BÜTZOW

The Bützow PB is in the Rostock local press!

The German EmPaci team contributed an article to the non-profit journal “Rostocker Stadtgespräche” which is focussed on urban development and citizen empowerment:

Lorson, P.C./Haustein, E./Voß, K. (2021):  Bützower Bürgerhaushalt 2021: Neue Form der Bürgerbeteiligung geht in die zweite Runde, in: Rostocker Stadtgespräche, Vol. 26 Issue 3, pp. 23-25.

The (German) article can be downloaded here


2021-10-15

NEWS FROM BÜTZOW

Announcing the winners! – Summarising the results of 2021

The citizens have voted and the results are here. From 25th August to 10th September 2021, 1 750 votes were collected to decide how the 40.000 EUR-budget is to be distributed. Over the course of the online voting 360 accounts were created at the online platform. The offline voting was possible at the assembly hall and additionally at a little event of a local TV channel (“NDR-Fest”) at the last day of voting.

Something special about the winning proposal, is not necessarily the topic of planting trees in a certain area of Bützow, but the proposer itself. A little girl made the proposal, literally saying: “I miss the trees.” That shows, that even the little ones contribute to PB and have a chance to realize their ideas!

Final voting results:

Proposal no. 58:             "Plant trees"                                                220 votes            10 000 EUR
Proposal no. 42:             "Sports parc/Fitness parc"                       127 votes             10 000 EUR
Proposal no. 43:             "New flair on all playgrounds“                98 votes              10 000 EUR
Proposal no. 20:             "Playground Fritz-Reuter-Allee"             85 votes              10 000 EUR

Further information: 2. Bürgerhaushalt: Die Ergebnisse / Amt Bützow-Land (buetzow.de)

Outlook on the implementation:

The implementation of the first proposal is already planned for the 1st quarter of 2022. The second winning proposal will be further discussed with the proposer about the wishes for equipment and location. The implementation is planned for the second quarter of 2022 together with the remaining winning proposals. Meanwhile all of last year’s winners are nearly implemented, as only one project is pending due to an official approval at the state level.

Let’s see, what the PB process in 2022 brings!


2021-08-22

NEWS FROM BÜTZOW

Feasibility check done – 61 proposals up to vote on

From the previous 138 proposals, 61 passed the feasibility check. Citizens will have 5 votes to distribute among the ideas. This year 40.000 EUR are ready to be used for the citizens’ needs. Due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, an offline and online voting is possible, from 25th August to 10th October 2021.

Again, an extensive information brochure will be provided to inform about the proposals, including their descriptions, the locations and the view of the administration regarding the costs and scope of the possible implementation.

The next date will be the announcement of the winning proposals at 10th September after the end of the voting phase.


2021-07-07

NEWS FROM BÜTZOW

138 new ideas for Bützow and the first implementation of PB projects

The new PB process for the second pilot has started and the proposal phase has ended on 30th April. In total, 138 proposals were collected at a balanced ratio by online and offline submission. Currently, the feasibility of all proposals will be checked and will be ready at the end of July!

While the second PB process is already running, the proposals of the first run come to life. The first project of a PB in Bützow is already implemented: A renewed hiking trail around Bützow.

The three remaining projects will follow soon and are visualised on the website by sketches of local young artist.

Let’s see, what the new proposals will bring to Bützow!


2021-02-23

NEWS FROM BÜTZOW

Recapping the voting phase

A reminder: At the end of the proposal phase 133 proposals were submitted by citizens of any age. The diversity was really surprising and overwhelming.

The feasibility check was made, based on criteria published in a statue. To give an idea, some criteria are:

  • Responsibility (of the municipality)
  • Cost limit (initial amount of 10.000 EUR and no significant follow-up costs)
  • Feasibility (regarding the implementation of the proposal)
  • Exclusion of double funding (for the same proposal or earlier implemented ones)
  • Check for conflicting resolutions (existing prohibitive municipal council resolutions)

56 out of these 133 proposals passed this feasibility-check in September. All proposals (feasible or not) were categorized by topics and target groups and published in a brochure in October. Every proposer as well as target group related associations, institutions and schools got at least one copy. After that, the voting phase started, divided into two phases (also due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

1st phase: online voting 19.10. - 25.10.

Number of participants:  474 citizens (302 valid)
Number of votes (max 5 per participant) 1 446 votes
Average age:  49 years
Youngest participant: 12 years
Oldest participant:  93 years

 

2nd phase: offline voting 26.10. - 30.10.

Number of participants: 97 citizens (97 valid)
Number of votes (max 5 per participant) 475 votes
Average age:  60 years
Youngest participant: 13 years
Oldest participant:  85 years

 

Final voting results (4 proposals selected after number of votes and remaining budget):

Proposal no. 1:  "Traffic concept Wallstraßen" 357 votes 5 000 EUR
Proposal no. 10:  "Skater facility Bützow" 157 votes 10 000 EUR
Proposal no. 11: "A place in Bützow,...."
(recreation and meeting park)
154 votes 10 000 EUR
Proposal no. 52: "Extension of a hiking trail…"  70 votes 5 000 EUR

 

Link: Ergebnisse Bürgerhaushalt 2020 / Amt Bützow-Land (buetzow.de)

Currently, the implementation of the proposals is prepared. The proposal provider will be involved in the actual realisation as well.

The goal is, to realise the winning proposals as soon as possible before the 2nd PB starts. We are excited to see the first PB project (directly proposed and voted by citizens) realised in this state!



2020-09-28

NEWS FROM BÜTZOW

Proposal phase completed and feasibility checked - get ready for the voting

 After the completed feasibility check about 60 of the 133 proposals are left and eligible for the voting. The citizens may like more than one proposal and will get 5 votes, to distribute between the different proposals.

All provided proposals will be presented in an information brochure that has the following features:

  • A feedback system that shows the result of the feasibility check (green=accepted/red=rejected)
  • An explanation for every rejected proposal
  • A map to locate the proposals in the municipality
  • A sorting according to categories for a better overview and a presentation suitable for target groups

This brochure will be available online and offline around the municipality. In addition, the involved citizen initiative will support the dissemination of the brochure. Maybe it will be sent to the households by mail.

Due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic the date for the voting phase is delayed and a bit uncertain. A possible schedule looks as follows:

  • Online phase, starts around the 12th October and will be about a week
  • Offline phase, starts after the online phase and will last until the 31st of October (During that period, the citizen initiative plans events to inform the citizens and generate even more voters.)
  • The last day of voting will end with the announcement of the results on a festival which is organized by the church (inauguration of new bells) to attract even more people through the event character.

Parallel the planning for a better IT-solution of the online platform for the second edition of the participatory budget continues.



2020-06-05

NEWS FROM BÜTZOW

There is a Role for Everyone in the PB Puzzle

Today:

… the proposal phase for the 1st Bützow participatory budget ended. For a municipality with just about 7 500 inhabitants the received 133 proposals are outstanding and a great start!

The next step:

… is the evaluation of this unexpected number of proposals. This feasibility check is scheduled for June and July. The goal is to prepare a final list of possible projects for the voting phase.

The list will give information, why and why not a proposal is admissible. That is a major requirement to be transparent, to give the citizens feedback and to consider the relevant statues inside of the administration`s decision-making. 

The step after:

… is to publish the voting list on August 17th and to provide comprehensive information about the proposals for the next two weeks. As such, the online voting phase will start an on 31st August for one week. Additionally, an "offline voting" in the context of an event on 5 September is planned too. But due to this Corona pandemic, this date is uncertain for now and the future planning of events is considerably more difficult.



 


FI-EmPaci

The EmPaci – Empowering Participatory Budgeting in the Baltic Sea Region project ends 31.12.2021. We want to thank all of you who took part in this journey to boost participatory budgeting “PB” in the BSR!

For more info on our Finnish pilots, please visit: https://www.lab.fi/en/project/empowering-participatory-budgeting-baltic-sea-region-empaci

Best regards,
The Finnish Teams (Lotta-Maria, Annukka, Kaisa, Seesam and Meri) at LAB University of Applied Sciences and Tampere University

EmPaci – Empowering Participatory Budgeting in the Baltic Sea Region -projekti päättyy 31.12.2021. Haluamme kiittää kaikkia osallistuvan budjetoinnin “osbu” kehittämismatkaan osallistuneita!

Lisätietoa suomalaispiloteistamme sekä kehittämismatkastamme löydät suomenkielisiltä verkkosivuiltamme: www.lab.fi/empaci

Voit jatkaa kehittämistä tutustumalla hankkeen verkkosivuilta löytyviin materiaaleihin tai YouTube-kanavaamme. Myös avoin osbuverkostomme PBbase jatkaa toimintaansa, joten tutustu tarkemmin ja tule mukaan!

Osallisuusterveisin
Team Suomi (Lotta–Maria, Annukka, Kaisa, Seesam ja Meri) LAB-ammattikorkeakoulusta sekä Tampereen yliopistosta

For more information about the results of the inhabitant survey, please take a look at the report (available only in Finnish)

Taustatieto
Kunta-aineiston saateteksti

Olemme LAB-ammattikorkeakoulussa ja Tampereen yliopistossa työstäneet oheiset viestintäaineistopohjat helpottamaan erilaisten asukasryhmien aktivoimista. Pohjia täydentämällä voit levittää tietoa osbusta ja kasvattaa asukkaiden innostusta osallisuuteen. 

​Aineisto, sekä sen liitteet ovat ilmaisia ja vapaasti hyödynnettävissä omien tarpeiden mukaan, vaikka sosiaalisessa mediassa!  

Jakaessasi materiaalia somessa, käytäthän #EmPaci -tunnistetta, mainitse muutoin lähteenä EmPaci-hanke. 

Hankkeen taustoja

Ladattavat jakoaineistot


2021-12-02

This text was previously published in LAB Focus -blog:
https://blogit.lab.fi/labfocus/en/looking-for-a-socially-sustainable-society/

Looking for a Socially Sustainable Society

Sustainability is not a one-dimensional theme. In a societal context, sustainable development is nowadays seen as a wider concept than the traditional ecological sustainability – being green. (Abdul Hameed Siddiqui 2018.) Economic and social sustainability are also important aspects to a modern, functional – sustainable society and therefore these themes were a part of this years’ Lahti Science Day 18.11.2021 – an annual event highlighting research and its’ outcomes in the Lahti Region (LAB 2021). Participatory budgeting “PB” where inhabitants are given a voice and power to make decisions on matters related to their home municipality is one concrete way to boost the sustainably of a municipality by strengthening the participation of individual inhabitants.

To make this happen, it is important to acknowledge that PB should be run in a way that all inhabitants can have their say and it doesn’t become a tool for a minority of active parties to run their own agendas in.  Equality and transparency are important factors in the process, so the inhabitants trust the process and outcomes regardless of their own ideas being chosen or inhabitants feel that it is possible to take part whether they choose to do it or not.

Evaluating a participatory budgeting process has an important role in this scenario. Evaluation should be conducted from different viewpoints and include different target audiences to enable a wider and more comprehensive picture of the process at hand. The process can then be developed further to suite the wants and needs of the participants and municipalities by using the accumulated knowledge.  (Heinonen et. al. 2021.)


Image 1. Participatory budgeting can help build a more socially sustainable society. (Image: Vica Perotovin)

Process Evaluation Verifies Results and Sharpens the Focus

To highlight the need for PB process evaluation and offer new insights, we, the Finnish partners of EmPaci – Empowering Participatory Budgeting in the Baltic Sea Region -project LAB University of Applied Sciences and Tampere University presented our finding from our two Finnish pilot cases cities of Lahti and Riihimäki at the Lahti Science Day event. The evaluation was based on two case studies – one from each city – conducted during winter 2020−2021. Data was collected from different sources such as online surveys and interviews from inhabitants, city officials and local politicians. A specific framework was set up to analyze the findings.

Results suggest that evaluation should be linked to the entire process to enable the best possible outcome. Communications, leading the process and providing resources are some of the key points in developing the process. Further information on the process and findings in a recent article in the LAB Innovations Annual Review 2021 -publication.

Author
Annukka Heinonen, Master of Business Administration, works as an RDI-specialist at LAB University of Applied Sciences, and as a project manager in the EU Interreg funded EmPaci – Empowering Participatory Budgeting in the Baltic Sea Region -project. There are altogether 17 partners working on improving PB at EmPaci. LAB University of Applied Sciences and Tampere University are supported by Association of Finnish Municipalities.


2021-09-18

The Finnish EmPaci team – Tampere University and LAB University of Applied Sciences have set up an article on the key role of evaluation in developing participatory budgeting in the resent “LAB Innovations Annual Review 2021” publication


2021-09-17

The Growth of Gamification and its Utilization in Various Fields

This text was previously published in LAB Focus -blog:
https://blogit.lab.fi/labfocus/en/the-growth-of-gamification-and-its-utilization-in-various-fields/

Gamification and participatory budgeting were discussed at the local webinar of EmPaci‘s PBbase network at LAB University of Applied Sciences in September. Practical examples of the use of gamification in participatory budgeting were presented by Kirsi Verkka, who presented her experiences from the OmaStadi game in her presentation Gamification in Support of Equality in the Digital Participation Process. Seesam Tsokkinen also presented the participatory game made in her thesis and the experiences related to its development. Ari Hautaniemi paved the way for practical examples with the theory of gamification. The recording of the webinar can be viewed (only in Finnish) on the PBbase Network YouTube channel.

Gamification is the utilization of elements familiar from games in an environment outside of entertainment games and is intended to convey experientiality to other aspects of life as well. Gamification aims to influence motivation by increasing the attractiveness, usability and experientiality of products and services. When we talk about gamification, we mean the systematic goal of utilizing elements familiar from games. (Hautaniemi 2021.)

Image 1. Gamification is utilized in many different contexts. (TeraVector 2021)

While the term gamification has surfaced in recent years, it’s not a new thing. Gamification dates to the early 2000s and the first attempts at gamification were made in the early 2010s in the United States. Digitalization has increased the use of gamification for new possibilities. (Hautaniemi 2021.)

Gamification should not be confused with traditional games aimed at generating entertainment value, nor with reward systems that entice people to take actions that earns points (Ruhi 2015). The various elements of gamification are e.g., score, scoreboards, levels, story or theme, achievements, challenges, feedback, progress, rewards, and clear goals. Gamification occurs in many different contexts, including education and teaching, well-being, social media, economics, exercise, consumption and engagement, inclusion, experiences, and other media. Netflix’s interactive movies, as well as smart and sports watches, are examples of gamification. (Hautaniemi 2021.)

Psychological effects of gamification
Games and their elements are built to give rewards that stimulate the brain releasing large amounts of dopamine, increasing learning, and strengthening behavior. Dopamine acts as an incentive solution in rewarding situations where a person wants more pleasurable activities. (Karimi & Nickpayamin 2017.) Gaming elements respond quickly, visually, and perceptibly to the psychological needs contained in SDT. Games offer positive experiences compared to normal life, where you don’t always get feedback, your own actions don’t always have an impact, and where you must do things from external coercion. (Hautaniemi 2021.)

Authors
Seesam Tsokkinen, Bachelor of Culture and Arts, works as project planner at LAB University of Applied Sciences in the EU Interreg funded EmPaci – Empowering Participatory Budgeting in the Baltic Sea Region -project. There are altogether 17 partners working on improving PB at EmPaci. LAB University of Applied Sciences and Tampere University are supported by Association of Finnish Municipalities.

Annukka Heinonen, Master of Business Administration, works as an RDI-specialist at LAB University of Applied Sciences, and as a project manager in the EU Interreg funded EmPaci – Empowering Participatory Budgeting in the Baltic Sea Region -project. There are altogether 17 partners working on improving PB at EmPaci. LAB University of Applied Sciences and Tampere University are supported by Association of Finnish Municipalities.

References
Hautaniemi, A. 2021. Pelillisyys ja motivaatio. Osallistuva budjetointi ja pelillisyys webinar. [Cited 1 Oct 2021]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AE37LFUHGXY&t=2s

Karimi, K. & Nickpayam, J. 2017. Gamification from the Viewpoint of Motivational Theory. Italian Journal of Science & Engineering. Vol. 1 (1). 34–42. [Cited 28 Sep 2021]. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318661654_Gamification_from_the_viewpoint_of_motivational_theory

Ruhi, U. 2015. Level Up Your Strategy: Towards a Descriptive Framework for Meaningful Enterprise Gamification. Technology Innovation Management Review. Vol. 5 (8). 5–16. [Cited 28 Sep 2021]. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326311784_Level_Up_Your_Strategy_Towards_a_Descriptive_Framework_for_Meaningful_Enterprise_Gamification

Links
EmPaci – Empowering Participatory Budgeting in the Baltic Sea Region. 2021. Project webpage. [Cited 1 Oct 2021]. Available at: https://www.empaci.eu/

Tsokkinen, S. 2021. Kuntademokratian vahvistaminen pelillistämällä: nuorille suunnatun osallisuuspelin konseptointi. Opinnäytetyö. Teollinen muotoilu. [Cited 1 Oct 2021]. Available at: http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2021052611266

SDT. 2021. Center of Self-Determination Theory. [Cited 1 Oct 2021]. Available at: https://selfdeterminationtheory.org/theory/ 

Videos
Hautaniemi, A., Heinonen, A., Siivari, J., Tokee, T., Tsokkinen, S. & Verkka, K. 2021. PBbase EmPaci: Osallistuva budjetointi ja pelillisyys. Video. Uploader PBbase Network. [Cited 1 Oct 2021]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AE37LFUHGXY&t=2s

Images
Image 1. TeraVector. 2021. Gamification. Shutterstock. [Cited 29 Sep 2021]. Available at: https://www.shutterstock.com/fi/image-vector/gamer-play-online-social-game-typography-1331883026


2021-04-28

Spreading Finnish PB Knowledge Through “Train the Trainer” Videos

This text was previously published in LAB Focus -blog:
 https://blogit.lab.fi/labfocus/en/spreading-finnish-pb-knowledge-through-train-the-trainer-videos/

Planning, setting up and running a participatory budgeting (PB) process requires a lot of effort and resources – be it money, time, or knowledge (Sinervo in Tolpo 2021). Academic partners of the EmPaci – Empowering Participatory Budgeting in the Baltic Sea Region project, LAB University of Applied Sciences and Tampere University, have studied and supported Finnish PB processes. They have noticed firsthand the strain the process puts on the often-thin resources of municipalities. To support municipalities and other PB stakeholders the project has come up with a range of tips and tools for sharing knowledge and real-life experiences on PB. (EmPaci 2021.)

The concept behind the Train the Trainer model, where knowledge on PB is shared from different viewpoints and sources, is described in more detail in our previous blog post Train the Trainer – Participation Requires Training (Heinonen 2020).

Image 1. Finnish municipalities have taken an active interest in PB. Now is the time to spread the tips and tools across the Baltic Sea Region using the Train-the-Trainer model. (Altmann 2016)

PB – what, why and how?
The Finnish partners have documented some of the key components of PB implementation into three videos, highlighting the theme, tools, and practical knowledge of Finnish PB. Typically, information and materials about Finnish PB is provided only in Finnish, as resources limit the provision of language versions. Train the Trainer videos are available in both Finnish and English. This not only helps support the non-Finnish speakers locally, but also benefit the wider PB community globally.

The Participatory Budgeting Challenges Administration video focuses on municipalities. In this video researchers from Tampere University provide a basis for understanding PB, discuss the challenges running a PB from perspective of municipal organization, and offer some recent examples of Finnish PB.

In the Participatory Budgeting is Done Together video the spotlight is on the first Finnish EmPaci PB Pilot – OmaLahti PB – run in the City of Lahti in 2020. PB Coordinators, who planned, set up, and ran the pilot for the city, share their experiences on the whole process. You also get a chance to find out more about a Lahti specialty – PB Coaches (city employees) and Project Guardians (ordinary citizens) – who supported the process. You will also find out what were their roles and what did it take from a city employee and an ordinary citizen to take part in the PB in such an active way.

The third video Facilitating Group Discussions and Workshops provides tips for city employees for meeting ordinary citizens in their everyday lives, and to spark their interest to take part in joint matters like PB. Motivating citizens is essential but it can sometimes feel difficult. Video illustrates how developing facilitation skills help during these encounters and help ensure the quality of the entire process. The topic of the video was selected based on feedback received from the Finnish pilot municipalities Lahti and Riihimäki, where a second PB was run in 2020.

The Finnish versions of the videos can be found on the Finnish project home page.

Author
Annukka Heinonen, Master of Business Administration, works as an RDI-specialist at LAB University of Applied Sciences, and as a project manager in the EU Interreg fundedEmPaci – Empowering Participatory Budgeting in the Baltic Sea Region -project. There are altogether 17 partners working on improving PB at Empaci. LAB University of Applied Sciences and Tampere University are supported by Association of Finnish Municipalities.

References
EmPaci. 2021. Project webpage. [Cited 14.4.2021]. Available at: www.empaci.eu

Heinonen, A. 2020. Train the Trainer – participation Requires Training. LAB Innovations. [Cited 20.4.2021]. Available at: https://blogit.lab.fi/innovations/en/2020/04/08/train-the-trainer-participation-requires-training/

Tolpo, A. 2021. Tutkijat kouluttavat kuntapäättäjiä asukkaiden kuuntelemisessa: “Kunnat ovat yllättyneet, miten työläs ja aikaa vaativa prosessi on”. YLE. [Cited 15.4.2021]. Available at: https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-11855737

Links
LAB. 2021. Empowering Participatory Budgeting in the Baltic Sea Region (Empaci). [Cited 15.4.2021]. Available at: https://www.lab.fi/fi/projekti/empowering-participatory-budgeting-baltic-sea-region-empaci

Videos
Heinonen, A., Sinervo, L-M., Kurkela, K., Lehtonen, P. & Tsokkinen, S. 2021a. Participatory Budgeting Challenges Administration. Video. Uploader Annukka Heinonen. [Cited 13.4.2021]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoW_tK8IdQc

Heinonen, A., Sinervo, L-M., Kurkela, K., Tsokkinen, S., Mäkinen, T., Virta, S., Määttä, I. & Kopra, H. 2021b. Participatory Budgeting is Done Together. Video. Uploader Annukka Heinonen. [Cited 13.4.2021]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmr9BB600W8

Karreinen, L., Salovaara, A., Sinervo, L-M., Kurkela, K., Heinonen, A. & Tsokkinen, S. Facilitating Group Discussions and Workshops. Video. Uploader Annukka Heinonen. [Cited 13.4.2021]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWu8YoUzIdo

Images
Altmann, G. 2016. Tiimi, palaute, vahvistaminen. Pixabay. [Cited 14.4.2021]. Available at: https://pixabay.com/fi/illustrations/ryhm%C3%A4-tiimi-palaute-vahvistaminen-1825503/



2020-12-17

The Cherry Park took the first place in the first OmaLahti PB

Picture: The idea of a cherry tree park was a favorite among the citizens. (Couleur, Pixabay)

The citizens of Lahti voted in their first ever city level PB, and altogether 10 ideas will be implemented by the end of 2021. There is a whole host of ideas from all four areas of the city, so participatory budgeting will liven up the city in a new way giving the citizens a chance to explore and enjoy their surroundings.

Source
City of Lahti News Bulletin: https://www.lahti.fi/en/news/vote-is-up-these-participatory-budgeting-ideas-will-be-implemented/

Picture
Couleur, Pixabay: https://pixabay.com/fi/photos/japanin-kirsikkapuita-kukat-pinkki-2168858/

Author
Annukka Heinonen, Master of Business Administration, works as an RDI-specialist at LAB University of Applied Sciences and as Project Manager in the EU Interreg funded EmPaci – Empowering Participatory Budgeting in the Baltic Sea Region -project.



2020-12-17

Picture: There is an online PB platform in use at the City of Riihimäki, to make the process of idea creation and gathering, processing as well as voting easier. (City of Riihimäki)

The Results of the 2nd Riihimäki PB - and the 2nd Finnish EmPaci PB pilot - are Out

The voting phase of the second PB-run in the Finnish City of Riihimäki has ended in December. The following five plans were voted for implementation in 2021 from the 17 possibilities:

  • An x-ray machine for the city vet 40 000 € (382 votes)
  • More trash cans in the city 10 000 € (205 votes)
  • Free condoms to be given out in secondary schools 3 000 € (184 votes)
  • Prevention of Arion vulgaris ”Espanjansiruetana” 30 000 € (166 votes)
  • A series of outdoor concerts 4 000 € (132 votes)

There was an increase in voting compared to the first round of PB in 2019. “It was also nice to see, that citizens had an active approach towards PB in this run,” says Mia Miettinen Communications and Marketing Manager from the City of Riihimäki. A total of 740 citizens took part in the vote which makes the voting percentage around two percent. All citizens over 12 years old were eligible to vote in the participatory budgeting scheme.

For more information on Riihimäki PB (in Finnish): https://osallistu.riihimaki.fi/processes/osbu-2020

Source
Miettinen, M. 2020. Tweet by Communications and Marketing Manager, City of Riihimäki. Available at: Twitter: https://twitter.com/MiaMiettinen/status/1338825795180122114

Picture
Logo of the PB platform, City of Riihimäki. https://osallistu.riihimaki.fi/processes/osbu-2020

Author
Annukka Heinonen, Master of Business Administration, works as an RDI-specialist at LAB University of Applied Sciences and as Project Manager in the EU Interreg funded EmPaci – Empowering Participatory Budgeting in the Baltic Sea Region -project.



2020-12-09

Finnish PB Piloting Expads: Case Riihimäki

Picture of gears and ideas flying around.  Hercer 2020

Image 1. There is currently a lot going on in the Finnish PB scene. EmPaci-project works on spreading the knowledge on the theme among the Baltic Sea Region so that we can all learn from each other. (Hercer 2020.)

It is an exciting time to be working on participatory budgeting “PB” in Finland as many municipalities are giving their inhabitants a stronger voice with it. LAB University of Applied Sciences (LAB) and Tampere University (TAU) support this process by working alongside the Finnish pilot municipalities.

The first Finnish PB pilot of the EmPaci team, the OmaLahti PB, was run in the City of Lahti beginning in spring 2020. There, inhabitants had their say on how 100 000 € of city funds were spent improving their city. The inhabitants have spoken, and the 10 most popular ideas are now at implementation stage to be completed by the end of 2021. Work on PB continues as LAB and TAU are currently conducting an evaluation on the pilot process with surveys and interviews with inhabitants, city employees connected with the pilot as well as political decision-makers. This will provide Lahti with up-to-date knowledge on their PB. (City of Lahti. 2020.)

The EmPaci team has now expanded its horizons and taken on another Finnish pilot municipality – the City of Riihimäki, where PB is conducted for the second time, and is currently underway.

PB in the Riihimäki Way

In the Riihimäki case, the city has set up a separate fund of 1 M Euros after they sold their share in the local energy company Riihimäen kaukolämpö Oy in 2018. This gives the inhabitants a chance to improve their hometown and make it better for all by working with a 100 000 € budget in the 2020 PB. (City of Riihimäki 2019a; City of Riihimäki 2019b.)

In their first ever PB in 2019, the inhabitants had their say over a budget of 50 000 €. They came up with 119 ideas, that they placed on the web-based PB-platform for all to see, 64 of which then moved onto the voting stage. The inhabitants voted seven ideas to be implemented, among them a range of ideas from improving their neighborhoods to events. (City of Riihimäki 2019c.)

In this second PB, the idea creation phase was conducted in autumn 2020 and gathered 45 ideas. This time, the city had added a new rule for the PB idea phase, which stated that in order to proceed to the pre-check phase and later voting phase, an idea needed 10 Likes from other inhabitants to show their support. 24 ideas passed this test and are in the pre-check phase where the city determine the costs and make sure the idea could be implemented if chosen. The voting phase of this second round will begin in November, and the winning ideas to be implemented will be made public at the turn of the year. (City of Riihimäki 2020.)

LAB and TAU support Riihimäki by offering the EmPaci Train the Trainer (TtT) -model to help spread knowledge about PB to those implementing it. An evaluation will also be conducted by the partners at the end of the PB run, so that Riihimäki can develop their PB further.

All in all, EmPaci is currently gathering interesting data about running participatory budgeting in Finland. Other project partners from Germany, Poland, Russia, Latvia and Lithuania are doing the same, so there will be an increase in data and knowledge on PB in the Baltic Sea Region in the near future thus improving the situation of this phenomena in the area.

Author
Annukka Heinonen, MBA, works as an RDI-specialist at LAB University of Applied Sciences and as a project manager in the EU Interreg funded EmPaci – Empowering Participatory Budgeting in the Baltic Sea Region -project.

REFERENCES
City of Lahti. 2020. Osallistuva budjetointi. [Read 9th Nov. 2020]. Available at: https://www.lahti.fi/kaupunki-ja-paatoksenteko/osallistu-ja-vaikuta/osbu/

City of Riihimäki. 2019a. Kaupunkilaiset pääsevät ideoimaan ja päättämään, miten kaupungin rahoja käytetään – Riihimäki valmistelee osallistuvaa budjetointia. [Read 11th Nov. 2020]. Available at: https://www.riihimaki.fi/kaupunkilaiset-paasevat-ideoimaan-ja-paattamaan-miten-kaupungin-rahoja-kaytetaan-riihimaki-valmistelee-osallistuvaa-budjetointia/

City of Riihimäki. 2019b. Kaupunginhallituksen 12.8.2019 pöytäkirja. [Read 9th Nov. 2020]. Available at: https://www.riihimaki.fi/kaupunginhallitus-12-8-2019-poytakirja/

City of Riihimäki. 2019c. Osallistuva budjetointi 2019. [Read 9th Nov. 2020). Available at: https://osallistu.riihimaki.fi/processes/osbu-2019

City of Riihimäki. 2020. Osallistuva budjetointi 2020. [Read 9th Nov. 2020]. Available at: https://www.riihimaki.fi/paatoksenteko/osallistu-ja-vaikuta/osallistuva-budjetointi/

LINKS
EmPaci. 2020. Official project website. [Read 6th Nov.2020]. Available: www.empaci.eu

PICTURE
Hercer, H. 2020. Picture: logineuve_ilustra on Pixabay. [Cited 7th December 2020]. Available at: https://pixabay.com/fi/vectors/pyydykset-ty%C3%B6-joukkue-yhdess%C3%A4-5193383/



2020-09-24

The Finnish Pilot - #OmaLahti-PB Continues

The participatory budgeting of  Lahti #OmaLahti has succeed to reach the residents of Lahti quite well. In the early stages altogether 713 ideas concerning the use of money were submitted, which is  an excellent amount of ideas. In the final voting all together 3896 voters gave their opinions about the projects that should be implemented. In the PB, the communication towards residents is very focal and in Lahti this communication has succeed quite well. It is also delightful that voting has reached people from different age groups. The biggest age group was residents between 31 and 40 years. The people of this age group are often in the middle of the busiest years. These numbers of participants give a solid ground for the future PB projects and to overall development of citizen participation.

Kaisa Kurkela, Project researcher I Doctoral candidate, Tampere University



2020-08-28

The Finnish Pilot - #OmaLahti-PB Continues

#OmaLahti-PB process is now in voting stage. (Picture: www.lahti.fi/osbu)

In the #OmaLahti -PB pilot, all Lahti citizens are now invited to vote for their favorites of the 58 ideas that went through to this stage after idea-, pre-check and co-creation stages. Voting is done online and at Trio Palvelutori-service point as well as at libraries until 9.9.2020. Citizens of all ages can vote once, for up to four ideas (one for each area the city was divided into, max. budget 25 000 €/area). The results well be available later this autumn.

As the pilot is coming to an end during the autumn, the overall evaluation with the academic partners of EmPaci-project of the PB process is also running simultaneously. It will provide information for the city to develop their process as well as give others, interested in running a PB, UpToDate knowledge on the practicalities and other considerations.

Annukka Heinonen, LAB-University of Applied Sciences



2020-08-14

Co-Creation in Use at Lahti PB Pilot

The PB co-creation event Lahti PB “Lackathon” held at the Palvelutori-service point 13.8.2020 gathered a good mix of inhabitants, NGO’s as well as city official – some closely connected with ideas such as those who had come to work on their own ideas and others just people walking by and taking part. The event kicked off with a short presentation about the current state of the PB pilot as well as a video greeting from mayor Pekka Timonen. The international research and development project EmPaci also provided knowledge about PB to the participants as well as conducted some observation for research purposes.

Co-creation can be done in many ways and at the Lackathon it was conducted using five idea points where participants got a chance to work on altogether 14 ideas. Participants were free to take part in as many or as few points as they wished. Among the ideas being worked on were improvements for recreational areas, street art and a food bank -idea. Tools for gathering and analyzing data, maps and other visual aids were used to help participants finetune ideas into proposals using the knowledge and feedback from individual inhabitants, city officials and other interested parties. All points were hosted by a facilitator from the City of Lahti. The four-hour event was filled with interesting conversations, new ideas and many tweaks into the ideas, and the atmosphere was altogether positive. The co-created ideas will now move onto the voting stage at the end of the month.

Image 1. Running a successful PB requires input from all parties. (Image: Pixabay 2020 / CC0)A co-creation event for Lahti PB “Lackathon" gathered together people from individual inhabitants to city officials to work on turning great ideas into fabulous proposals. (Picture: A. Heinonen, EmPaci)

More information in Finnish about EmPaci-project in Finland, please visit: www.lab.fi/empaci

Annukka Heinonen,

Project Manager, EmPaci-project at LAB University of Applied Sciences



2020-06-17

There is a Role for Everyone in the PB Puzzle

Previously published at LAB-innovations -blog 17.6.2020: EXPERIMENTAL DEVELOPMENT ECOSYSTEMS FOR INNOVATIONS

https://blogit.lab.fi/labfocus/en/there-is-a-role-for-everyone-in-the-pb-puzzle/

About a third of Finnish municipalities have or are thinking about running a participatory budgeting (PB) project. (Kurikka 2020). As municipal resources are limited, PB is often run as an additional project with limited personnel and supported by other city functions, such as communications. Various service divisions of the city have an important role in PB pre-checking and cost-calculation of ideas received from inhabitants. They often handle the entire PB implementation in Finnish municipalities.

Image 1. Running a successful PB requires input from all parties. (Image: Pixabay 2020 / CC0)Image 1. Running a successful PB requires input from all parties. (Image: Pixabay 2020 / CC0)

PB Coaches promoting PB

Many municipalities have appointed special PB representatives within their organizations for making PB possible, boosting the changes, and enabling the smooth running of the project. The City of Lahti ‘PB Coaches’ from the service divisions support the pilot from within the organization and help inhabitants with their ideas in the co-creation phase. (City of Lahti 2020) The City of Helsinki ‘Stadiluotsit’ or ‘City Pilots’ support the PB process and inhabitants at their own specific areas in Helsinki. (Laaksonen 2020)

Inhabitants have the inside track

The nature of participation is to be open to all. Municipalities aim to join forces with different groups such as NGOs’ and inhabitants to get clearer picture of what is going on in the municipality, as well as to get a helping hand for PB. An inhabitant survey conducted in Lahti in 2019 showed that respondents are interested in PB, but the topic is not yet well known (Osallistuminen ja vaikuttaminen Lahdessa 2019). To make PB more familiar, the City of Lahti appointed a group of locals to act as Project Guardians for three specific areas of the city (Eastern, Southern and Northern) as well as for the entire city. They support the PB pilot by communicating with inhabitants and helping them to take part in the pilot. (City of Lahti 2020) “I participated out of general interest and have found the role of Project Guardian fun so far. We have had the chance to take part in planning the PB, as well as promoting the pilot during the idea creation phase in the spring. I’m looking forward to new and exciting experiences along the pilot,” says Ville-Veikko Vesala (2020) – one of the Lahti PB Project Guardians.

Using pears as ambassadors has proven to be a good tactic in other municipalities too, as Katja Repo (2020) from Tuusula points out: “A message is often more relevant when it comes from someone in your shoes”. PB can bring all the different groups of people together.

More information in Finnish about EmPaci-project in Finland, please visit: www.lab.fi/empaci

Annukka Heinonen,

Project Manager, EmPaci-project at LAB University of Applied Sciences



2020-05-28

NEWS FROM LAHTI PILOT: Over 700 ideas given by inhabitants in Lahti PB pilot!

The participatory budgeting “PB” pilot in the City of Lahti is well underway and the initial – idea creation – phase has been successfully conducted. The city received 713 ideas from inhabitants on how to improve their home municipality. As can be expected from a traditionally sports oriented city, the inhabitants chose sport as one of the PB themes and many ideas given fall under that category. At the moment the ideas are being pre-checked to make sure they could be implemented. After the final ideas that pass that check are selected, the city will gather inhabitants and all interested parties together to co-create them further in a live or online hackathon -type event. The vote itself that will take place in August/September 2020 and will determine those ideas that are implemented for the inhabitants to enjoy in the future.

For more information about the PB in Lahti and a closer look at the ideas given, please visit:

https://www.lahti.fi/en/latest-updates/news/brainstorming-participatory-budgeting-projects-in-lahti

More information in Finnish about EmPaci-project in Finland, please visit: www.lab.fi/empaci

Annukka Heinonen,

Project Manager, EmPaci-project at LAB University of Applied Sciences



2020-04-14

Train the Trainer – Participation Requires Training

Previously published at LAB-innovations -blog 8.4.2020: EXPERIMENTAL DEVELOPMENT ECOSYSTEMS FOR INNOVATIONS

Picture 1. Participation requires a new kind of understanding and skillset from those working in municipalities. Methods and communication can be practiced and developed to make participation a natural part of everyday work. Photo: Annukka Heinonen.

There are 310 different Finnish municipalities of different size and population with unique challenges and resources (The Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities 2019). In order to succeed participation requires effort and co-operation from several parties in different stages of the process. To become reality in a sustainable way, enough resources need to be allocated to participation – be it money, labor or knowledge (Lehtonen et al. 2020; Sinervo 2020). EmPaci-project believes that the often-scarce resources of municipalities can be taken into better use by for example training.

Train the Trainer Model Boosts Development

The training needed can be conducted using a Train the Trainer approach below from the EmPaci project (figure 1), where new skills are built upon existing ones and knowledge is shared amongst others. The training emphasizes practice but is built upon a theoretical background. The implementation of the Train the Trainer training model is based on small but systematic steps toward Participatory Budgeting (PB). The model is always tailored to suit the needs of participants.

Figure 1. The EmPaci model tailored for Lahti by the Finnish project team(Heinonen 2020)

Practice Makes Perfect – Preparing for PB in Lahti

The city level participation model and PB as a tool are currently being developed in Lahti, and the work is done in a systematic way. An internal survey was conducted in 2019 for the personnel of The City of Lahti to map out the current state of participation and PB. The results pointed out that participation as a method was well known in Lahti but the personnel felt a need for support and practice in holding workshops as facilitators and finding ways to support inhabitant participation in different ways (City of Lahti 2019). The international EmPaci – Empowering Participatory Budgeting in the Baltic Sea Region -project, funded by the EU Interreg fund supports the city by providing them with up to date research on PB and the personnel with opportunities for practical training.

Picture 2. Aino Mäkilä (left), Marko Ahokas and Sini OJala took eagerly part in the Train the Trainer event, and are looking forward to the the PB pilot. Photo: Annukka Heinonen.

Internal Train the Trainer -events have been held in early 2020 regarding PB for employees of the City of Lahti, and more are planned for different stakeholders and inhabitants.  City employees from different units have been very interested in finding out more about this subject and taking part in practical training. “The concept of PB in general and methods in particular are very interesting as we interact a lot with inhabitants and other stakeholders in our daily work. We look forward to using PB and finding out what kind of effects we will achieve with inhabitants and also within units in our organization,” conclude participants Aino Mäkilä, Marko Ahokas and Sini Ojala from The City of Lahti.

Continuous Development as a Goal

The training model needs to be tailored to suit the needs of each individual situation and those of the participants to get the greatest effect. “We gather feedback from the participants and monitor and adapt the process continuously as our goal is to enable the best possible level of participation for inhabitants, a successful PB-pilot for the City of Lahti as well as gather and distribute up-to-date knowledge on PB in Finland for our international partners and others interested in taking up PB in their municipalities,” concludes Lotta-Maria Sinervo, Project Lead at Tampere University – a Finnish partner of EmPaci alongside LAB University of Applied Sciences. In Lahti, new and improved skills will soon be taken into use for the benefit of inhabitants as the City of Lahti released a statement in February saying that a PB pilot will be run in 2020 (City of Lahti 2020).

Read more about PB pilot in Lahti.

For more information:
PB at LAB website
PB at EmPaci-project website

Sources

Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities 2019. Webpage 3.4.2019: Suomen kaupungit ja kunnat. [Cited 13th March 2020] Available at: https://www.kuntaliitto.fi/tilastot-ja-julkaisut/kaupunkien-ja-kuntien-lukumaarat-ja-vaestotiedot

Kurikka, Päivi, 2020. Specialist at the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities. Presentation “EmPaci-hankkeen OSBU-työpaja” at a Train the Trainer -event by EmPaci at LAB University of Applied Sciences 18.2.2020, Lahti.

City of Lahti 2019. An internal survey: ”Osallisuustyön nykytila-arvio”. Not published, available at the City of Lahti.

Lehtonen, P. Jäntti, A. Sinervo, L-M & Kurkela, K. 2020. Hypetyksestä huomio osallistuvan budjetoinnin resursseihin. The Association of the Local and Regional Authorities  2020. [Cited 9 March 2020] Available at: https://www.kuntaliitto.fi/blogi/2020/hypetyksesta-huomio-osallistuvan-budjetoinnin-resursseihin

Sinervo, L-M. 2020. Project Lead at EmPaci-project, Tampere University.  Presentation: “Kestävä osallisuus, kestävä kuntatalous – osallisuuden resursoinnin näkökulmia” at Kuntademokratia foorumi -event 10.3.2020. [Cited: 26th March 2020, available at: https://www.kuntaliitto.fi/tapahtumat/2020/kuntademokratiaverkoston-tapaaminen-1032020.  City of Lahti 2020. Osallistuva budjetointi. [Cited: 3. March 2020] Available at: https://www.lahti.fi/paatoksenteko/osallistujavaikuta/osallistuva-budjetointi

Interviews

Ahokas, Marko. 2020. Participant at an internal training event from The City of Lahti organization. Interview at the Train the Trainer event at LAB University of Applied Sciences in Lahti on February 18, 2020. Interviewer Annukka Heinonen.

Mäkilä, Aino, 2020. Participant at an internal training event from The City of Lahti organization. Interview at the Train the Trainer event at LAB University of Applied Sciences in Lahti on February 18, 2020. Interviewer Annukka Heinonen.

Ojala, Sini, 2020. Participant at an internal training event from The City of Lahti organization. Interview at the Train the Trainer event at LAB University of Applied Sciences in Lahti on February 18, 2020. Interviewer Annukka Heinonen.

Writer

Annukka Heinonen (MBA) works as an RDI Specialist at LAB University of Applied Sciences and as a Project Manager for EU Interreg funded EmPaci – Empowering Participation in the Baltic Sea Region -project at LAB.



2020-03-31

Previously published at LAB University of Applied Sciences Innovations blog

EXPERIMENTAL DEVELOPMENT ECOSYSTEMS FOR INNOVATIONS

Making Participatory Budgeting ”PB” Familiar to the Citizens of Lahti – Pilot Starting in the Spring 2020

Published March 31, 2020 here 

What would your dream home municipality be like? The inhabitants of Lahti get to develop their municipality through PB in 2020. 

Finnish municipalities have been quite active in taking up participatory budgeting “PB” where inhabitants get a chance to take part in dividing finances in their home municipality. A third of Finnish municipalities have or are planning on using this modern method of democracy (Kurikka 2020). The City of Lahti has been implementing PB for some years in order to reach out to their inhabitants and strengthen the appeal of the city. In a recent survey conducted by the EmPaci-project and The City of Lahti among the inhabitants on participation and having a say, the response showed interest even though few were familiar with the concept (Osallistunen ja vaikuttaminen Lahdessa 2020).

PB in the Lahti Way

There are several ways to implement PB, such as holding workshops, discussions or utilizing existing structures, such as youth councils (Pihlaja 2017, 14). The City of Lahti has decided to run this PB-pilot where 100 000 euros are divided among ideas suggested by the inhabitants in a way that is open to all. The money will be spent using an area project model where the city and sum are divided in four ways: into entire city, northern, southern and eastern area – 25% each. The city has chosen three themes: wellbeing, community and environment. The inhabitants voted for a fourth theme: sports. In the Lahti model the inhabitants will first be encouraged to come up with ideas along the themes. Experts from the city will then carry out a quick review of the gathered ideas to make sure they could be implemented within the framework of the pilot. The ideas that pass this phase will then move on to the co-development phase where the ideas are worked on in participatory ways. Finally, the inhabitants get a chance to vote on their favorites. The process is very quick as the idea phase will take place in late spring and the voting will be done in early autumn. The chosen ideas will then move on to the implementation that will start in late 2020. All in all, the Lahti model is built heavily on participation and co-operation in all phases. (City of Lahti 2020.)

Strengthening the Understanding Through PB

This form of PB is a method that gives inhabitants a possibility to voice their opinions by giving out ideas and voting on them, thus influencing municipal spending. But it also provides inhabitants a chance to strengthen their knowledge on municipal finances and the rules and regulations related to it. It is not always clear to inhabitants what the responsibilities of municipality are and what things cost or what kinds of long-term implications there are related to maintenance and running costs of specific municipal projects. PB helps make these processes easier to understand and more see through which strengthens the knowledge level of the inhabitants. The inhabitants in turn can give their home municipality new information, common-sense solutions and their own knowledge which provides the municipality with a new perspective. (Ahonen & Rask 2019.)

Follow the Lahti PB pilot here!

For more information:
PB at LAB website
PB at EmPaci-project website

Sources

Ahonen, V. & Rask, M. 2019. Uutta kunnista 2/2019: Osallistuvan budjetoinnin mallit ja trendit Suomessa. [Cited 23.3.2020]. Available at: https://helda.helsinki.fi//bitstream/handle/10138/304520/1985nro2osallistuvabudjetointi_2.pdf?sequence=1

City of Lahti. 2020. Osallistuva budjetointi. [Cited 23.3.2020]. Available at: https://www.lahti.fi/paatoksenteko/osallistujavaikuta/osallistuva-budjetointi

Kurikka, P. 2020. EmPaci-hankkeen OSBU-työpaja. Presentation at EmPaci project’s Train the Trainer event at LAB University of Applied Sciences in Lahti on February 18, 2020.

Osallistuminen ja vaikuttaminen Lahdessa. 2020. Asukaskysely 2019. Raportti 21.2.2020. [Cited 23.3.2020]. Available at: https://www.lab.fi/sites/default/files/2020-01/EmPaci_Asukaskysely2019_osallistuminen%20ja%20vaikuttaminen%20Lahdessa_raportti_2112020.pdf

Pihlaja, R. 2017. Osallistuva budjetointi kunnissa ja maakunnissa. [Cited 23.3.2020] Available at: http://shop.kuntaliitto.fi/product_details.php?p=3356

Writer

Annukka Heinonen, MBA, works as an RDI-specialist at LAB University of Applied Sciences and as a project manager in the EU Interreg funded EmPaci – Empowering Participatory Budgeting in the Baltic Sea Region project.



2020-01-29

NEWS FROM LAHTI PILOT: Participatory budgeting in the Finnish City of Lahti – unfamiliar but interesting

Nowadays changes are sought after in society to supplement traditional means of democratic participation such as voting in elections. Participatory budgeting (PB) where inhabitants get a chance to take part in municipal decision making regarding economic and resourcing decisions are one way of modernizing the system.

The City of Lahti – the Finnish pilot municipality - and EmPaci – EmPowering Participatory Budgeting in the Baltic Sea Region -project partners from LAB University of Applied Sciences and Tampere University are currently working on these issues. To find out how the inhabitants of Lahti feel about participation and participatory budgeting, they conducted an inhabitant survey “Participation and influencing in Lahti” in October 2019.

The results are in and the feedback very positive. Over 1000 replies were gathered, most of which by an electronic Webropol survey system chosen alongside a traditional letter survey to make answering quick and easy for inhabitants. According to the survey, the inhabitants of the City of Lahti in Finland are interested in participation and want to take part in municipal decision making. The idea of participatory budgeting (PB) was found interesting even though the concept was unfamiliar to most. It seems clear that inhabitants in Lahti want to have their say in municipal decision making which is a good starting point for future piloting of PB.

For more information:

www.lahti.fi

www.empaci.eu

Annukka Heinonen

Project manager, EmPaci, LAB University of Applied Sciences

 


LT-EmPaci

2021-11-17

NEWS FROM TELŠIAI DISTRICT MUNICIPALITY

Watch the realisation

Follow the link to see, how the playground, proposed and voted by the citizens of Telsiai, gets realised: https://youtu.be/occdraxRsl4


2021-10-24

NEWS FROM LITHUANIA

On October 21-23, 2021, prof. dr. Jaroslav Dvorak participated in the annual conference organized by The Network of Institutes and Schools of Public Administration in Central and Eastern Europe (NISPAcee) in Ljubljana, Slovenia. During the conference, dr. Jaroslav Dvorak presented the report "Lessons Learned from Evidence-Based Participatory Budgeting in Lithuania: The Case of the EmPaci Project", in which he presented the activities carried out during the EmPaci projects and the results achieved in Lithuania. It was also presented along with a lect. G. Burbulytė-Tsiskarishvili and assoc. prof. dr. Valentina Burkšienė conducted a study on the perspectives of mayors in implementing the participatory budgeting in Lithuania during the COVID-19 times. According to the research findings: In Lithuanian case PBs do not rely only on the mayors ’wills and are influenced by political affiliation. This provides conditions for the continuous success (initiation, implementation and durability) of the PB initiative especially in uncertain times of specific crises (i.e., COVID-19). Strong interconnectivity between the mayor and the council (whether majority or opposition) leads to the collective decision making on PB and strong both political and administrative support.

Photos by Daniel Klimovský

For more information:
https://www.ku.lt
www.empaci.eu
Dr. Jaroslav Dvorak
Project manager, EmPaci, Klaipėda University


2021-10-05

NEWS FROM RIETAVAS MUNICIPALITY 

The 2nd participation budget pilot of the EmPaci project in Rietavas municipality is coming to an end. Nine project proposals were submitted to the citizens' initiative competition, but six of them did not meet the requirements of the description of the procedure for selection and funding of project initiatives for citizens' initiatives and were declared ineligible.

191 residents of the municipality voted for the three citizens' initiatives submitted for voting. 201 responses were received. Due to the double voting, 10 votes were not counted, but this did not affect the distribution of votes.

The project proposal “Diskgolf in Rietavas Park”, which received 77 votes, attracted the greatest interest of the residents of Rietavas municipality. The proposal "Installation of rest benches and rubbish bins in the park alley" received only 5 votes less. In third place was the project proposal "Dog Guide and Training Ground", which received the support of 42 people.

After discussing and coordinating the planned budgets with the project authors, the Rietavas municipal administration implements the 2 projects that received the most support. In 2021, Rietavas municipality will allocate an amount of 10,000 euros to the participating budget.

For more information:
https://www.ku.lt
www.empaci.eu
Dr. Jaroslav Dvorak
Project manager, EmPaci, Klaipėda University


2021-09-07

NEWS FROM TELŠIAI DISTRICT MUNICIPALITY

Telšiai district municipality received 11 project ideas during the implementation of the second participatory budget. All project ideas submitted were put to the vote. Six project ideas were submitted by the residents of Telšiai city, five project ideas were submitted by the residents of rural elderships. Eight project ideas are aimed at creating infrastructure, while the remaining three focus on education and training. You can get acquainted with the project ideas on the website of Telšiai district municipality: https://www.telsiai.lt/go.php/lit/2021-metai

Voting according to the approved time schedule should start from October 22, 2021.

For more information:
https://www.ku.lt
www.empaci.eu
Dr. Jaroslav Dvorak
Project manager, EmPaci, Klaipėda University


2021-06-15

NEWS FROM TELŠIAI DISTRICT MUNICIPALITY

Telšiai District Municipality (LT) implements the 2nd participatory budget and, after the release of quarantine restrictions, it was decided to organize 5 direct contact trainings “Implementation of Community Initiatives through the Participatory Budgeting”:  1 in Telšiai city and 4 in rural elderships of Telšiai district.  This is expected to reach residents further away from the district centre.

On June 15-30, 2021, the trainings were organized and conducted by the Telšiai Education Center (adult education institution), by order of the Municipal Administration. Thus, the message about the participatory budget was spread not only by the municipal administration but also by the Telšiai Education Center. From one hand, the residents, longing for direct communication with each other, willingly engaged in practical activities, how to present project ideas, shared thoughts, considered the possibilities of implementing the ideas. From other hand, the residents have also become more aware of the importance and support of the community, the fact that they can actively communicate with each other and solve the problems of local people. Questions were raised about the possibilities of establishing the communities themselves.  

PB Training - Telsiai, 15 June, 2021

PB Training - Telsiai, 21 June, 2021

The municipal administration expects and hopes that in the 2nd participatory budgeting initiative, the population will be more active, will come up with more great ideas that will reflect the expectations and wishes of the population, and local politicians and administration will better understand how to help the population implement it.  The creation of new communities, more active, happier residents and friendly living environments are also expected. The 3 hours of training did not last long, and training participants left it in a great mood and full of new ideas.  

Residents can submit project ideas to the municipal administration from July 1 to August 6.

For more information:
https://www.ku.lt
www.empaci.eu
Dr. Jaroslav Dvorak
Project manager, EmPaci, Klaipėda University


2021-06-09

NEWS FROM TELŠIAI DISTRICT MUNICIPALITY

A meeting of the participatory budget advisory working group took place in the Telšiai district municipality administration. During the year of the meeting, it was decided to propose to change the description, stipulating that any person over 18 could submit ideas for the participatory budget (not necessarily declaring residence in Telšiai district municipality), but requires the approval of 15 residents declaring residence in the respective eldership.

Residents are invited to submit any feasible idea that meets the submission conditions specified in the call - no specific topic is specified. Invitation and other information on the municipal administration website https://www.telsiai.lt/go.php/lit/Kvietimai-teikti-gyventoju

For more information:
https://www.ku.lt
www.empaci.eu
Dr. Jaroslav Dvorak
Project manager, EmPaci, Klaipėda University


2021-05-12

NEWS FROM RIETAVAS MUNICIPALITY 

The participatory budget voting phase has started with the implementation of the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Program project EmPaci.

In May 2021, Rietavas municipality is conducting an online public vote for the most popular citizens' initiatives. 9 applications of Rietavas municipality residents were submitted. There are 3 project proposals for voting: Diskgolf in Rietavas Park, Dog Guide-Training Ground and Benches and Trash Cans in Rietavas Park Alley. 6 applications were declared ineligible by the Consultative Working Group due to the description of the DB Project Selection and Funding Procedures 3.3. point of non-compliance.

Voting link: https://www.rietavas.lt/go.php/lit/Kvieciame-balsuoti-uz-jums-labiausiai-patikusia-ideja/2

For more information:
https://www.ku.lt
www.empaci.eu
Dr. Jaroslav Dvorak
Project manager, EmPaci, Klaipėda University


2021-02-25

NEWS FROM RIETAVAS MUNICIPALITY 

On February 25, 2021, a call for project proposals for the participatory budget was published. Information and documents are published on the official website of Rietavas municipality www.rietavas.lt. Citizens' initiatives for Rietavas municipality. The deadline for applications is March 31. In April, the advisory group will carry out an initial check of the eligibility of applications, assess the feasibility and prepare documents for online voting of Rietavas municipality residents on the google platform. Publicity and dissemination of information about the 2nd Pilot participatory budget has been carried out since the first simulation pilot on social networks on Facebook Rietavas, My city Rietavas, RLIG community, Rietavas tourism and business information website www.rietavovic.lt

During the second pilot participatory budget, a video and a participatory budget logo will be created, which will be used for the further development of citizens' initiatives.

More information on the poster.

For more information:
https://www.ku.lt
www.empaci.eu
Dr. Jaroslav Dvorak
Project manager, EmPaci, Klaipėda University


2020-12-18

NEWS FROM TELŠIAI

On December 1, 2020, the voting for project ideas submitted by the residents of Telšiai district municipality ended. The majority of votes were cast by the residents for the project "Installation of the Anulėnai pond beach with a resort". 938 residents of the municipality voted for this project.

After the implementation of the project, an active recreation area with a beach volleyball court, exercise machines and a children's play area will be restored near the Anulėnai pond in Degaičiai. The project will be implemented in 2021, 20 thousand Eur of municipal budget funds will be allocated for its implementation.

Thanks to the active population, we hope to successfully implement the first participatory budget of the Municipality, the aim of which is to take into account the wishes and opinions of the population when allocating budget funds.

Rietavas by Gintaras Lecas

For more information:
https://www.ku.lt
www.empaci.eu
Dr. Jaroslav Dvorak
Project manager, EmPaci, Klaipėda University


2020-11-18

NEWS FROM TELŠIAI

The Rietavas Municipal Council approved a description of the selection and financing of ideas for citizens' initiative projects

On October 29, 2020, the Rietavas Municipal Council approved a description of the selection and financing of ideas for citizens' initiative projects. According to the established procedure, the implementation of the simulation (pilot) participatory budget initiative will start next week in Rietavas Laurynas Ivinskis Gymnasium.

Link to the approved description (in Lithuanian): https://e-seimas.lrs.lt/portal/legalAct/lt/TAD/90428a821db811eb9604df942ee8e443

Rietavas by Gintaras Lecas

For more information:
https://www.ku.lt
www.empaci.eu
Dr. Jaroslav Dvorak
Project manager, EmPaci, Klaipėda University


2020-10-20

NEWS FROM TELŠIAI

The Administration of Telšiai District Municipality is implementing the first participatory budget

The municipality has adopted legal acts, and information on the implementation of the participatory budget is published on the Telšiai District Municipality website: http://www.telsiai.lt/go.php/lit/img/532

Residents of the municipality were invited to submit project ideas in any field, as the goal was to find out more about the thoughts, desires and suggestions of the population. The municipality received eight project proposals, such as a “Mobile Biotechnology Class” that travels around all towns and villages in the municipality, a “seven-day path for women’s development” with seminars for women in psychology, business organization, self-realization and other areas and infrastructure management projects. The working group for the assessment of project ideas selected five eligible projects for which a public vote was announced. The project idea which receives the largest number of votes from the residents is scheduled to be implemented in 2021. The representatives of the elderships expressed the wish that a certain amount of funds could be allocated to each eldership every year, and that the residents of that eldership would decide how to use them.

However, experience has shown that money can be used more efficiently by providing district-wide projects and a larger amount of funding. For example, the establishment of a mobile biotechnology class requires a larger amount of funds, but would benefit the children and youth of all district elderships. By contrast, each eldership acting independently, with a smaller amount of funds, would not be able to implement such a project. Therefore, the implementation of the participatory budget is an interesting exercise, requiring reflection, consensus and good decision-making, between the community, politicians and local government administration.

The EmPaci project team - project implemented by the Telšiai district municipality administration

For more information:
https://www.ku.lt
www.empaci.eu
Dr. Jaroslav Dvorak
Project manager, EmPaci, Klaipėda University


2020-07-03

NEWS FROM TELŠIAI

Telšiai district municipality is going to start implementing participatory budgeting initiative from 1 of July 2020

Telšiai district municipality politicians and administration aim to be more open, more citizen-oriented, seek for greater transparency in decision-making, the greater trust of the residents, using competence, knowledge and willingness to participate in the life of the district. The result of cooperation between the municipal council, the administration and the residents in decision-making is more appropriate services, the expectations of the residents have been fulfilled and mutual trust has been strengthened. In 2020, the Telšiai district municipality administration will start implementing the first participatory budget in the district.

In order to implement the ideas proposed by the public, the Telšiai District Municipal Council approved the decision  “On Approval of the Description of the Procedure for Selection and Funding Community Initiative Projects”. Following this procedure, the residents of the municipality will be able to submit their proposals, project ideas, which they believe are useful and necessary for the municipal community.

The trainings held on June 30, 2020 were intended for all residents of the district, representatives of communities, groups, non-governmental organizations.

During the training, the presentation and implementation of the ideas of community initiative projects and the pilot survey of the opinion of the residents of Telšiai district municipality and its results were presented by the Head of the Department of Public Administration and Political Science of Klaipėda University assoc. professor dr. Jaroslav Dvorak and lecturer Gabrielė Burbulytė-Tsiskarishvili.

The training was attended by the Mayor of Telšiai District Municipality Kęstutis Gusarovas, members of the Council Linas Šedvilas, Tomas Katkus, Evelina Zelbaitė and Algirdas Bacevičius, administrative staff.

You can find the video here

For more information:
https://www.ku.lt
www.empaci.eu
Dr. Jaroslav Dvorak
Project manager, EmPaci, Klaipėda University


2020-06-23

NEWS FROM RIETAVAS

On 18 of June 2020 EmPaci project partners Rietavas municipality, Rietavas Tourism and Business Information Centre, Klaipeda University organized the trainings to the civil servants of the Rietavas municipality.

Project partners presented lectures on the participatory budgeting status quo, origin, current models and project implementation plan.

For more information:
https://www.ku.lt
www.empaci.eu
Dr. Jaroslav Dvorak
Project manager, EmPaci, Klaipėda University


2020-06-08

NEWS FROM TELŠIAI

On 28 May 2020, the Telšiai District Municipality council approved decision No. 20-7044 “On Approval of THE Description of the Procedure for Selection and Funding Community Initiative Projects”.

According to the decision the proposals of project ideas can be submitted by residents not younger than 18 years of age who have declared their place of residence in the territory of Telšiai district municipality. In addition, the project applicant needs to provide the fifteen signatures of the eldership residents where the project will be implemented.

The municipality council approved an advisory working group. The advisory working group will evaluate residents’ proposals of project ideas and preliminary project estimates before the residents voting. The group consists of one delegated representative of the fractions of the municipal council, one delegated representative of the Council of Non-Governmental Organizations, six civil servants of the municipal administration divisions and one representative of the elderships of the municipal administration. Once it has been established that the submitted proposal meets all the requirements specified in the call, the eligibility of the project is assessed and a list of selected projects is drawn up and a protocol drawn up.

The links to the decisions: https://e-seimas.lrs.lt/portal/legalAct/lt/TAP/dc7eff80969711eaa51db668f0092944

For more information:
https://www.ku.lt
www.empaci.eu
Dr. Jaroslav Dvorak
Project manager, EmPaci, Klaipėda University


2020-03-05

NEWS FROM TELŠIAI

In the Lithuanian Telšiai district municipality the presentation of the results of the EmPaci population survey took place on 27 of February 2020.

Klaipeda University researchers dr. Jaroslav Dvorak and Gabrielė Burbulytė-Tsiskarishvili presented the survey results for the municipality mayor Mr. Kęstutis Gusarovas and members of the council.
You can watch the presentation from 3:45 - 21:25 at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUBYSrBmxVA&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR058F24Rls6avKmSwmdF8R-4YZXBPG-E1yKfJu6XZlTdNyYeB_kUO-kqUY 

   

For more information:
https://www.ku.lt
www.empaci.eu
Dr. Jaroslav Dvorak
Project manager, EmPaci, Klaipėda University


2020-02-17

NEWS FROM RIETAVAS

In the Lithuanian Rietavas municipality the presentation of the results of the EmPaci population survey took place on 17 of February 2020.News from Rietavas-1

Klaipeda University researchers dr. Jaroslav Dvorak and Gabrielė Burbulytė-Tsiskarishvili presented the survey results for the municipality politicians and administration. The presentation was attended by Antanas Cerneckis, Mayor of Rietavas Municipality, Vytautas Dičiūnas, Director of Municipal Administration, Antanas Aužbikavičius, Deputy Director, Egidijus Gricius, Youth Coordinator, Daiva Jackūnienė, EmPaci Project Coordinator, director of Rietavas Tourism and Business information centre director Laima Dockevičienė and manager Rasa Baliulevičienė.

   

For more information:
https://www.ku.lt
www.empaci.eu
Dr. Jaroslav Dvorak
Project manager, EmPaci, Klaipėda University

 


LV-EmPaci

2020-07-22

NEWS FROM VIDZEME (LATVIA)

A competition of cultural initiatives in Vidzeme has ended with 69 supported projects

A competition of cultural projects - Vidzeme Culture Program - introduced by Vidzeme Planning Region (Latvia) has ended with 69 supported projects that will receive funding. The competition was implemented in Vidzeme for the 13th time already introducing significant change this year - public voting to promote public participation and develop and test the mechanisms of citizen involvement in the decision-making.

149 projects were submitted for a total amount of EUR 637,373.70. Considering the criteria approved in the competition regulations, the expert commission evaluated the project applications and decided to support 69 projects, distributing the available funding of EUR 143,000.00. Unfortunately, some of the projects involving a large number of participants or visitors, as well as public events, didn't receive funding as it will not be possible to organise them due to COVID19 restrictions.

The submitted cultural projects were actively promoted by Vidzeme Planning Region, project applicants and local municipalities. Activities were also widely covered by the local and some national media. As a result, more than 12 300 votes were submitted using the voting platform balso.vidzeme.lv demonstrating a relatively high interest of Vidzeme inhabitants in the cultural processes in the region. The current COVID19 emergencies also affected the planned model of citizen involvement, denying the opportunity to vote in person.

However, the implemented activities provide valuable conclusions about the public's expectations regarding the set of cultural events in Vidzeme. Based on the observations made during this first pilot activity, Vidzeme Planning Region is already starting to plan how to evolve already initiated public involvement forms next year.

Information prepared by:
Ieva Bīviņa
Communication Manager
Vidzeme Planning Region
www.vidzeme.lv/en


2020-06-03

NEWS FROM LATVIA

Liels solis pretī Līdzdalības budžeta ieviešanai Latvijā

NO INESE SUBEVICA · JUNE 3, 2020

2020.gada 14.maijā Ministru kabinetā tika apstiprināts Vides aizsardzības un reģionālās attīstības ministrijas (VARAM) izstrādātais konceptuālais ziņojums “Par līdzdalības budžeta ieviešanu Latvijā”, kas izstrādāts, lai veicinātu iedzīvotāju iesaisti lēmumu pieņemšanas procesā un savstarpējo uzticēšanos pašvaldību un iedzīvotāju vidū. Līdzdalības budžeta ieviešana noteikta arī Deklarācijā par A.K.Kariņa vadītā Ministru kabineta darbību.

Lai arī pagaidām iespēja īstenot līdzdalības budžetu tiek plānota brīvprātīgi, tas joprojām ir liels solis pretī līdzdalības budžeta koncepta ieviešanai Latvijas pašvaldībās. Ministru kabinets ir apstiprinājis Līdzdalības budžeta iniciatīvu, un šobrīd tiek uzsākts darbs pie atbilstoša regulējuma izstrādes iekļaušanai jaunajā Vietējo pašvaldību likumā. Līdzdalības budžeta koncepta ieviešana Latvijā ir daudzsološa. Ministru kabineta apstiprinātais Līdzdalības budžeta koncepts paredz sekojošus pamatprincipus:

1) Līdzdalības budžets jāievieš visās pašvaldībās,

2) vismaz 1% no pašvaldības ieņēmumu un nekustamā īpašuma nodokļa vidējiem ienākumiem pēdējo triju gadu laikā vai vismaz EUR 500 000 gadā jānovirza Līdzdalības budžetam,

3) finansējumu sadala proporcionāli starp pašvaldības teritoriālajām vienībām vai pilsētu apkaimēm,

4) pašvaldībām līdzdalības budžeta veidošanas tematiskie virzieni jāiekļauj pašvaldības attīstības programmā,

5) līdzdalības budžeta ieviešanas noteikumi jāizstrādā katrai pašvaldībai, ievērojot noteiktos principus (piemēram, balsošana par idejām notiek vismaz 14 dienas, pašvaldība apņemas īstenot visas idejas, kas ir ieguvušas iedzīvotāju atbalstu; projekta idejas nevar būt pretrunā ar attīstības plānošanas dokumentiem utt.),

6) nodrošināt projekta ideju iesniegšanu un balsošanu, t.sk. valsts līmenī izveidot vai pielāgot esošo sistēmu, piemēram, Latvija.lv portālu,

7) plānošanas reģioni (piemēram, Vidzemes plānošanas reģions) būs atbildīgi par labās prakses apkopošanu katrā reģionā, savukārt VARAM sniegs metodisku atbalstu.

Ministrs Juris Pūce (AP!): “Būtiskākais ieguvums, ieviešot līdzdalības budžetu, ir pilsoniskās sabiedrības aktivizēšana, tieša iesaiste nozīmīgu savas teritorijas attīstības lēmumu pieņemšanā. Vienlaikus, modernizējoties valsts pārvaldei, tā ir iespēja informēt un izglītot iedzīvotājus par pašvaldības darbību, tās budžeta plānošanu, veicināt sadarbību, kā arī kopumā uzlabot iedzīvotāju piederības sajūtu konkrētai kopienai, ciemam vai pašvaldībai, sekmējot arī iedzīvotāju ieinteresētību maksāt nodokļus.”

More information is here


2020-05-30

NEWS FROM LATVIA

The article "Participatory budgeting as a tool for citizens participation at the work of the local government" is published on the website http://socialinnovation.lv/

More information is here


2020-04-23

NEWS FROM LATVIA

Vidzeme Planning Region continues to strengthen the citizen participation in the region 

mapIn March 2020, Vidzeme Planning Region announced a cultural project competition “Vidzeme culture program” implemented already for the thirteenth year in a row. It aims to promote the balanced development of cultural and art sectors and the preservation of cultural heritage in the country.

During this time, the project competition has proven to be an important financial instrument that promotes and ensures the cultural process in Vidzeme, thus creating and preserving a diverse cultural environment in the region. A great interest of the local community has been seen on the "Vidzeme culture program". This is evidenced by both the number of project applications submitted each year and the number of participants involved in the implementation of supported projects and visitors of events.

This year, 149 projects have been submitted to the competition and will be distributed funding of 143,000 EUR.

To ensure active public participation in the development and implementation of the "Vidzeme culture program" this year, a citizen survey was conducted to find out the opinion of citizens on cultural priorities that should receive funding. A significant number of people (726) took the opportunity to vote. So far, cultural priorities have been set based on views of industry experts, research, planning documents, as well as 12 years of experience implementing the program. Results of society vote were determinative defining the cultural fields where project initiatives later were submitted to obtain funding.

Continuing the participatory activities within the program, this year the public is also invited to vote on submitted projects. All projects are placed publicly on the website developed specifically for this purpose – http://balso.vidzeme.lv. Each citizen from the age of 16 can vote for three different projects. More than 12 200 votes have been placed on the website. Planned voting in person was cancelled due to an emergency.

Results of the public vote will be presented to the commission of experts of the program. The decision on the distribution of funding will be made by the State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia following the recommendation prepared by experts.

This pilot activity is a step towards promoting public involvement in the decision-making of state and local government institutions, including the distribution of the budget for various initiatives. Conclusions obtained will be valuable both for the Vidzeme Planning Region, promoting the public participation process, and for local governments to develop the mechanisms of citizen involvement in the decision-making.

Information prepared by:
Ieva Bīviņa
Communication Manager
Vidzeme Planning Region
www.vidzeme.lv/en


2020-03-04

NEWS FROM LATVIA

Vidzeme Planning Region launched first activities of participatory budgeting pilot

"EmPaci" project partners from Latvia – Vidzeme Planning Region has started first participatory budgeting (PB) pilot implementation activities aiming to promote society’s participation in the development of cultural processes in the Vidzeme region.

At the end of 2019, a society vote was announced inviting every inhabitant of the region to express their opinion on cultural priorities that should receive funding within the Vidzeme Culture Program 2020. For the thirteenth year already, Vidzeme Planning Region will be implementing a culture program in the region where organizations can obtain funding for the implementation of the culture projects in the territory of the Vidzeme historical region. The program aims to promote balanced development of culture and art sectors and the preservation of cultural heritage in the country.

So far, cultural priorities have been set based on the views of industry experts, research, planning documents, as well as 12 years of experience implementing the program in Vidzeme. The results of society vote initiated by Vidzeme Planning Region was determinative defining the priority cultural fields where public initiative projects will be submitted to obtain funding for their idea realisation. A significant number of people took the opportunity to vote and the results now are included in the regulation of the Vidzeme Culture Program 2020.

The next steps of the PB pilot activities in Vidzeme will include the development of a voting platform to enable citizens to vote on the culture initiatives submitted. The results of the vote will be presented later to the Vidzeme culture program expert commission.

For more information:
Ieva Bīviņa
Communication Manager
Vidzeme Planning Region
www.vidzeme.lv/en


PL-EmPaci

2021-10-21

NEWS FROM BIELSKO-BIAŁA

End of Pilot Action 2

From September 23 to October 9, 2021, voting by residents on projects submitted as part of the Participatory Budget of Bielsko-Biała for 2022 lasted. In the current edition, as in the previous ones, residents could vote online and by means of ballots. For over two weeks, the citizens of Bielsko-Biała could express their support for positively verified general and housing estate projects.

A total of 19,245 valid votes were cast by residents via the Internet and ballot papers, including 9,209 votes for city-wide projects and 10,036 votes for housing estate projects.

Among the city-wide projects the winners were: "Searching for the ancestors of Joe Biden's Guard-Church" (1,724 valid votes) and "Green playgrounds" (1,419 valid votes).

The dominant and winning projects in the housing estates concerned: construction or modernization of playgrounds, sports fields, small sports and recreation facilities (including pumptrack, traffic town) and recreation sites; improvement of safety by replacement of street surfaces and renovation of pavements and creation of parking spaces for residents; equipping volunteer fire brigades; development and furnishing of green areas and equipping cultural institutions (housing estate libraries, community centres).



2021-09-15

2021-09-23

NEWS FROM BIELSKO-BIAŁA

We vote! Every resident of Bielsko-Biała can vote!

 Voting has begun for positively verified projects submitted to the Bielsko-Biała Participatory Budget for 2022.

Voting will last over two weeks and will end on October 9, 2021.

You can vote by:

1) electronic voting (via the website) and

2) traditional voting (using papers).



2021-09-15

NEWS FROM BIELSKO-BIAŁA

Projects to be voted on

Finally, out of all 34 general city projects submitted by the inhabitants of Bielsko-Biała, 14 projects qualified for the voting stage (1 project was withdrawn by its author), while out of all 67 housing estate projects submitted, 52 projects qualified for the voting stage (1 project was withdrawn by its author).



2021-06-08

NEWS FROM BIELSKO-BIAŁA

Summary of the call for projects for the 2022 Participatory Budget.

Until 14 May 2021, the residents of Bielsko-Biała submitted their proposals for tasks to be implemented as part of the Civic Budget of Bielsko-Biała for 2022.

Let us remind you that the deadline for submitting project proposals was extended by the Mayor of the City due to the ongoing pandemic. It is also worth noting that the electronic project submission form made available to the inhabitants of the City for the first time at www.obywatelskibb.pl enjoyed great popularity.

Ultimately, 101 civic projects were registered and published on the official website. This number included 67 housing estate projects and 34 citywide projects. All projects passed the stage of formal verification.

The city-wide projects are dominated by those focusing on the development and improvement of the sports and recreational zone in our city, i.e.: sports fields, pumptrack, playgrounds, parks, including theme parks and green areas, picnic spots and cultural events. We can also observe an increase in the number of health care projects dedicated to different age groups. There were also projects containing - to a greater or lesser extent - historical, ecological or educational aspects, as well as those supporting local culture and raising the tourist attractiveness of our city.

As in previous years, most housing estate projects involved modernization of playgrounds, sports fields, running tracks, renovation of streets, pavements, pedestrian bridges, creation of local car parks, development of areas into parks, squares, gardens, dog runs, outdoor gyms, sports facilities (including expansion and modernization of existing ones), equipment for housing estate libraries, Municipal Cultural Centre, schools or local Voluntary Fire Brigade units. The aim of these projects is mainly to improve the living conditions of the residents of a given housing estate and to reflect their expectations in terms of culture, sport, education, etc.

Substantive verification with the final opinion of the Team for verification of projects submitted to the PB, in accordance with the changes introduced to the adopted schedule, will last almost until the end of August 2021. Projects will be verified for their feasibility, their legal and technical conditions will be checked. During the substantive assessment carried out by the relevant department of the Municipal Office or the municipal organisational unit, the cost estimate of the submitted project will also be analysed.

 



2021-04-20

NEWS AND THE BEST PRACTICE FROM GDANSK

New edition of Gdańsk Participatory Budget opens now!

The Participatory Budget is an example of how the local community has been arranging a space close to its place of residence for the past nine editions. Next Monday, the call for applications for the participatory Budget 2022 starts. In total, there will be nearly PLN 21 million Polish zloty at the disposal of the inhabitants of Gdańsk, who I hope will actively participate in both the submission of applications and voting. More and more of our residents care about green surroundings, therefore we are continuing the Green Participatory Budget. 

The amount of the participatory budget for 2022 is the sum of the basic amount of PLN 19,700,000 and the funds that have not been allocated to the Participatory Budget for 2021 in Gdańsk in the amount of PLN 1,130,669. The total amount earmarked for projects implemented in 35 districts of Gdańsk is PLN 16,536,969 (including the Green Participatory Budget PLN 3,480,303), PLN 4,293,700 was allocated to city-wide projects (including the Green Participatory Budget PLN 1,512,000).

All details about the Participatory Budget, how to submit applications, what are the general amounts and what are the amounts of individual districts, can be found on the gdańsk.pl website in the Participatory Budget tab. Employees of individual departments of the City Hall in Gdańsk or organizational units will help applicants to estimate the cost of the project, check spatial development plans or land ownership.

  • Officials are ready to help all applicants. We care about the support of the residents, because the better the project is prepared, the more details we know at the beginning, the easier it is to verify the application later and the greater the probability that the project will be approved for voting. From April 19 to May 16, bills will be submitted, voting for them will take place from October 4 to 18. We are waiting for all the ideas, we are ready to help and we invite you to contact us
  • said Sylwia Betlej, head of the Social Participation Department and District Councils of the City Hall in Gdańsk.

Green Participatory Budget

Green Participatory Budget is at the disposal of the residents. During the evaluation of the last edition, the inhabitants of Gdańsk assessed the introduction of this type of projects very positively. This year, you can submit applications for ZBO in 5 changed categories: planting and caring for vegetation in urban green areas new green spaces construction of rain gardens renovation and modernization of the development of existing green areas ecological activities Last year, 147 green projects took part in the vote, and 45 of them will be implemented this year. Important! Projects submitted as part of the Green Participatory Budget may be located only on areas owned by the City and on areas owned by the State Treasury under the permanent management of the Mayor of Gdańsk. Electronic submission of projects In the new edition of BO, the rules for the delivery of the printed application form and the number of signatures in support of the project have been specified. Changes were proposed that will affect the more efficient and faster verification of projects and the examination of appeals.

The BO project should be submitted electronically via the website www.gdansk.pl. Then, the application form with attachments must be printed, signatures of support from the inhabitants of Gdańsk must be collected (the required number of signatures of support for a district project is still 1 signature, while for a city-wide project – 30 signatures) and within 7 days deliver the paper version to any Resident Service Team of the City Hall in Gdańsk. You can also send it by post to the address of the office or use a trusted profile on the e-PUAP platform.

You can submit any number of district and city-wide projects.

Participatory Budget (Budżet Obywatelski – BO) 2022 schedule

All necessary information is available here in Polish: https://www.gdansk.pl/wiadomosci/rusza-budzet-obywatelski-2022-gdanszczanki-i-gdanszczanie-moga-juz-skladac-projekty,a,193744

  • April 19 – May 16, 2021 – submission of projects
  • until September 15, 2021 – verification of projects
  • by 20 September 2021 – drawing numbers of projects
  • 4 – 18 October 2021 – vote
  • by 25 October 2021 – announcement of voting results. 


2021-04-10

NEWS FROM BIELSKO-BIAŁA

Changes to the BOBB 2022 schedule. Extended time for project submission

Due to the current situation in our city and country related to the ongoing pandemic, the Mayor of the City - Jarosław Klimaszewski, on 7 April 2021 decided to change some deadlines resulting from the adopted schedule of the Civic Budget of Bielsko-Biała for 2022.

The changes include, first of all, extension of the deadline for submitting project proposal forms by the residents and extension of the deadline for voting on the positively assessed projects. Thus, the dates listed on the official BOBB 2022 website have been changed.

Revised deadlines:

  • The submission of project forms by residents runs from 23 March to 14 May 2021 (inclusive),
  • Formal evaluation of projects submitted to the BOBB for 2022 lasts until 20 May 2021,
  • The opinion of the projects with regard to their location by the relevant Neighbourhood Councils lasts until 18 June 2021,
  • Substantive evaluation of projects, including as to their legality and technical feasibility lasts until 30 June 2021,
  • Voting of residents for positively verified projects from 23 September to 9 October 2021. (inclusive).


2021-03-25

NEWS FROM BIELSKO-BIAŁA

Telephone and e-mail consultation points - EmPaci Pilot Testing 2!

In view of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak and in order to support and strengthen measures to prevent the spread of the virus, as well as out of concern for the health of us all, we would like to inform you that the recommended way to submit projects to BOBB 2022 is electronically.

Everyone is encouraged to download from the website and send to projekty@obywatelskibb.pl scans of project proposal forms with attached letters of support (only for city-wide projects) and statements (if necessary). It is also possible to send photos of all pages of the completed project form with the list of support for the project (applicable only to city-wide projects).



2021-03-09

NEWS FROM BIELSKO-BIAŁA

Bielsko-Biała Participatory Budget for 2022

5 March 2021 President of the City of Bielsko-Biała issued an order which defines the most important dates of the PB 2022 procedure.

The ninth edition of the Civic (Participatory) Budget was launched, which will enable the implementation of the winning projects in 2022. The current edition of the Civic Budget of Bielsko-Biała is based on the resolution of the City Council of Bielsko-Biała on Civic Budget of Bielsko-Biała, already proven solutions from previous editions and provides for higher than previously amounts for housing estate tasks.

The Civic Budget amounts to a total of PLN 7,400,000.00, with the general pool of funds distributed as follows:

  • the amount of PLN 1,400,000.00 gross was allocated to all-city projects
  • the amount of PLN 6,000,000.00 gross was allocated to housing estate projects. This amount is distributed in equal parts, PLN 200,000 for each housing estate.

A task of general city character is a project whose estimated cost of realisation does not exceed PLN 700,000 gross, concerning a task realised in the area of more than one subsidiary unit of the city or addressed to all the inhabitants of Bielsko-Biała.

A housing estate project is a project which is clearly assigned to an auxiliary unit of the city, in the area of which it will be implemented. The unit value of the submitted housing estate project cannot exceed PLN 200,000 gross.

 Every resident of Bielsko-Biała may submit a proposal for a general city project, and every resident of the district which the project concerns may submit a proposal for a local project.



2021-02-19

NEWS FROM BIELSKO-BIAŁA

Training administration

Communication is an important element of the concept of social involvement and cooperation of local government with the citizens, especially in the Participatory Budgeting process. The choice of the right communication channel may determine the effectiveness of socially responsible activities. Therefore, as part of the #EmPaci project, the Regional Development Agency S.A. in Bielsko-Biała has prepared a series of webinars for representatives of local governments on selected communication channels in terms of their effectiveness in reaching residents, as well as the ease of their implementation.

We believe that appropriately selected channels of communication will guarantee the effectiveness of the message of initiatives on the local government - residents line.



2020-10-27

NEWS FROM BIELSKO-BIAŁA

End of the Pilot Action

It was the 8th edition of the Participatory Budget in Bielsko-Biała. In total, through the Internet and voting cards, the residents cast 14627 votes, including 6132 for city projects and 8495 for district projects.

Among the city projects they won: "332 trees and 5 branches" (1965 valid votes) and "BB Fire Brigade" (1377 valid votes).

The following projects dominated and won the competition: construction and modernization of the district infrastructure, including playgrounds and resting places, improvement of safety, activity zones for residents, construction of small recreational and sports facilities, including: a traffic town, pumptrack, skatepark and treadmill, retrofitting of the Voluntary Fire Brigade units and development and equipment of green areas. Among the local projects you can find integrating the local community of different ages, as well as dog runways and retrofitting of cultural institutions.



2020-09-15

NEWS FROM BIELSKO-BIAŁA

Voting for the Paricipatory Budget!

On Monday, September 21, 2020, voting will begin on positively verified projects submitted to the Bielsko-Biała Participatory Budget for 2021.

The voting will last two weeks and will end on October 5, 2020.

 The vote will take place in a manner:

  1. electronic (via the website) and
  2. traditional (using voting cards). 

 We would like to invite all residents of Bielsko-Biała to vote in the Participatory Budget 2021!



2020-09-02

NEWS FROM BIELSKO-BIAŁA

List of projects to be voted in the Participatory Budget of Bielsko-Biała.

Eventually, out of all 17 city-wide projects submitted by the residents of Bielsko-Biała, 6 projects qualified for the voting stage, while out of all 52 housing estate projects submitted, 45 projects were scheduled for voting (2 projects were withdrawn by the authors).



2020-08-06

NEWS FROM BIELSKO-BIAŁA

The list of positively and negatively assessed projects. Results of the work of the Project Verification Team.

The team for verification of projects submitted within the Bielsko-Biała Participatory Budget for 2021 has completed its work on evaluating the residents' projects.

After reviewing the substantive opinions of the relevant Councils of the housing estates, departments of the Municipal Office and municipal organizational units gave an opinion on the submitted project proposals and issued appropriate recommendations.

The project verification team gave an opinion on 69 submitted projects in total. The positive and positive opinion with comments was given to 51 projects, while the negative opinion was given in 18 cases.



2020-06-01

NEWS FROM BIELSKO-BIAŁA

Summary of the call for projects for the Participatory Budget 2021

Finally, 69 project proposals were registered and published on the official PB Bielsko-Biała website. This number includes 52 estate projects and 17 city-wide projects.

Due to the ongoing epidemic in Poland caused by COVID-19, the vast majority of projects were submitted to the Municipal Office in electronic form to the e-mail address indicated by the organizers. Traditionally, most projects have been submitted in the last three days of the application period.

On the official website of the Participatory Budget of Bielsko-Biała detailed descriptions of registered projects have been published, which correspond to the content contained in the project proposal forms submitted by their authors. Wherever possible, additional attachments are published, including: situation maps, visualizations, schemes, cost estimates, etc. This way of presenting projects will allow the residents to get to know their content in detail.

Among all-city projects there are those dedicated to the youngest residents of our city or their slightly older colleagues, as well as those supporting seniors and people with special needs; those that focus on ecology, development and management of urban green areas, as well as those guided by the proverb "in a healthy body a healthy spirit"; those that emphasize artistic values or care for the safety of the residents and those supporting the development of the scientific or business sphere of the city.

The estate projects concern such topics as: modernization of playgrounds, playgrounds, treadmills; renovation of streets, sidewalks, footbridges; creation of local car parks; development of areas for parks, squares, dog runways, outdoor gyms, sports facilities; equipping housing estate libraries, Municipal Cultural Centre or local Voluntary Fire Service units. The aim of these projects is mainly to improve the operating conditions of the residents of a given housing estate and to bend over to their expectations in terms of culture, sports, education, etc.

The substantive verification, in line with the changes made to the adopted timetable, will continue until mid-July 2020. The projects will be verified in terms of their feasibility, their legal and technical conditions will be checked. During the substantive assessment carried out by the relevant department of the City Hall or municipal organizational unit, the cost estimate of the submitted project will also be analysed.

Appropriate departments and municipal organisational units should contact the applicants in each case when there are doubts resulting from specific provisions of the project proposal, which influence the process of its assessment.



2020-05-13

NEWS FROM BIELSKO-BIAŁA

Participatory budget in Bielsko-Biała



2020-04-27

NEWS FROM BIELSKO-BIAŁA

"I'm submitting a project"- consultation point of the Participatory Budget 2021. EmPaci pilot testing!

The eighth edition of the Bielsko-Biała Participatory Budget 2021 is beginning. This is another chance for the residents to change the nearest area, as from March 23rd you can submit your own ideas.

On 4 May, a free consultation under the slogan "I submit a project" will start. In the afternoon (after an early appointment) there will be a special consultation point where you will be able to get advice on preparing and submitting a project.

The consultation will last until 30 June. You are welcome!



2020-03-10

NEWS FROM BIELSKO-BIAŁA

The envelope for PB 2021 is growing!

The Mayor of Bielsko-Biała decided to allocate significantly more funds for the Participatory Budget of Bielsko-Biała in 2021.

Currently, the participatory budget for 2021 amounts to PLN 10 million, of which PLN 1.6 million is allocated to projects of a city-wide nature and PLN 8.4 million to housing estate tasks. Thus, PB 2021 has been increased by as much as PLN 3.4 million..

Each of the 30 housing estates in Bielsko-Biała will have the amount of PLN 280 thousand at their disposal for the tasks submitted under the participatory budget. It is also important to note that the value of the general city task may not exceed PLN 800 thousand, and the tasks of the housing estate may not exceed PLN 280 thousand.



2020-02-10

NEWS FROM BIELSKO-BIAŁA

Bielsko-Biała Participatory Budget for 2021

31 January 2020 The President of the City of Bielsko-Biała issued an order which defines the most important dates of the PB 2021 procedure.

The most important assumptions of the 8th edition of the Participatory Budget:

  • The total amount of funds allocated to the Bielsko-Biała Civic Budget for 2021 was increased to PLN 10 million, of which PLN 8.4 million was allocated to housing estate projects and PLN 6 million to general city projects. In the new distribution, each of the housing estates in Bielsko-Biała will receive PLN 280 thousand (PLN 150 a year ago) to be spent.
  • The project for the Participatory Budget for 2021 can be submitted by an resident of Bielsko-Biała.
  • For a city-wide project a list of supporters with signatures of at least 30 residents of Bielsko-Biała is required, while for a housing estate project a list of signatures of residents supporting the project is not required.
  • Voting on positively verified projects is carried out electronically by means of an interactive electronic form and by means of voting cards available at "voting points" designated by a separate order. The Mayor of the City will indicate "Voting Points" for residents and define the days and hours of their operation.
  • Voting for positively verified projects takes 15 days.
  • An inhabitant entitled to vote may cast a maximum of two votes, of which one for a city-wide project and one for a housing estate project; only an inhabitant of the given housing estate, to which the project relates, may vote for a housing estate project.
  • The implementation of the winning projects takes place in the following budget year, i.e. after the winning projects have been entered into the budget of the City of Bielsko-Biała for 2021 (hence the name PB 2021).

The schedule of the Participatory Budget of the 8th edition:

  • Stage I: Education and information campaign
    • Education and information campaign - from 1 March 2020 (EmPaci Team)
  • Stage II: Submission of project proposals by residents
    • Submission by residents of project forms to the PB for 2021 - from 23 March 2020 to 24 April 2020
  • Stage III: Evaluation and evaluation of projects
    • Formal assessment of projects submitted to the PB for 2021 - by 30 April 2020
    • Opinions on citizens' projects due to their location by the relevant Housing Estate Councils - by 10 June 2020
    • Substantive appraisal of projects - by 19 June 2020
    • Publication of information with the results of the opinion - by 17 August 2020
    • Publication of the list of projects to be voted on taking into account the results of the appeal procedure - by 15 September 2020
  • Stage IV: Voting of residents on projects
    • Residents' vote - from 21 September 2020 to 5 October 2020
    • Making the results of the vote public - by 12 October 2020
  • Stage V: Publication of the list of projects to be implemented
    • Announcement of the list of selected projects to be implemented in 2021 by the President of the City - by 20 October 2020
    • Entering the winning tasks in the draft City Budget for 2021, specifying the Departments or municipal organisational units to implement the projects selected by voting - by 26 October 2020

 


 


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