2019 Theses Master's

Transforming Our Democracy: Participatory Budgeting and the Importance of Deliberation in Civic Engagement

Yu, Francis

Participatory Budgeting (PB) exists at varying scales in more than 3,000 cities across the globe and the process continues to expand both in scale and in new technology, particularly as digital technologies are being integrated into a myriad of City and governmental functions. As this expansion occurs, it is critical to explore the transformative and deliberative nature of the process upon which projects are debated and developed among PB participants (often referred to as Budget Delegates), relevant City agencies, and implementation partners. This research takes a case study approach to explore the Vallejo PB program in the City of Vallejo, California, the first American city to adopt PB on a citywide scale, and explores how PB serves as a space that provides new modes of civic engagement and leadership, lessons in collaboration with other community members and City agencies, and a deep and critical understanding of local governance processes and functions.