This is a CTP of initiative: Participatory Budgeting Porto Alegre (Brazil)
A new administration took on the city hall after the elections in 2012. After that some structural changes happened in the PB process. This CTP consists of the change to the PB cycle in POA, which happened in 2013 and aimed to reconcile the PB’s cycle to the municipal budget cycle. There was a mismatch between the hierarchical demands and themes and the municipal budget law. Therefore, the change in the cycle was implemented in order to align those dates. After the change it became possible for the COP (PB’s Council) to review the PB’s budget plan before sending it to the chamber of aldermen and the PB’s budget was registered in the annual municipal budget law.
This CTP was a result of discussions between the government and the COP (PB’s Council). The councilors were having difficulties with the deadlines to deliver the PB’s annual plan so that it could be included in the municipal budget law. It came as a response to a need that they were envisioning. The government saw that this difficulty existed and was supportive in changing the PB’s cycle. The interviewee does not see other examples of co-production. From his position, as part of a town hall organ, he sees this change as a peaceful one, without great ruptures.
The interviewee was not able to identify specific events prior to the CTP, even though he recognizes that this was something the councilors were asking for.
Concerning the events after the PB’s cycle change, the interviewee considers that it is too soon for them to see major events or impacts. The main reason is that the cycle has been altered recently and they are still reformulating its format. Structurally, the change in the PB cycle meant that the demands of the PB and its planning could be registered in the municipal budget law, in other words, would be officially approved by the government and by the PB’s Council. Before that, the municipal budget was defined without knowing the specific demands of the population.
The interviewee also said that the population, at that point - has another document to charge the delivery of that which was demanded in the municipal budget law.
2012 – Municipal Election - In 2012, Porto Alegre reelected the mayor for another 4-year mandate, which started in 2013.
2013 - Meetings of PB's Council and representatives from the city hall - They discussed the possible changes in the PB cycle, as a demand both from the councilors and the city hall.
2013 - Changes in the PB Cycle - Once the changes were made, the calendar from the PB process became aligned to the bugdet definition´s calendar of the city hall.
2014 - 2015 - 2016 - There were no changes in the PB Cycle, although some dynamics (such as theme´s definition, structure of representation and demands´ hierarchy) have changed over theses years.
This CTP was a result of discussions between the government and the representatives of the population in the PB’s Council. The interviewee sees this CTP as a councilors’ demand, something that they have been talking about for some time. The cycle remained annual, so it was just calendar readjustment. The participation remained basically the same, but they now have different periods to go through for each phase of the cycle.
The interviewee does not feel safe to affirm that the whole process was as expected. He believes that the COP had anticipated that this change would be reflected in other aspects of the process, but is not sure about if there was any previous acknowledgement of that. Considering the government, he also thinks that they had predicted the outcomes before the change was confirmed. As said before, this was a structural change to better organize the process and it was not meant to be a rupture of any kind
The interviewee considers that the learning occurred mostly for the community representative. Before this CTP, the PB’s Councilors were involved in the development of the Investment Plan, where the hierarchical demands and themes where registered. This document was the one that was delivered to the government in order to guarantee the investments. The representatives now need to understand the municipal budget law that has a new logic and asks for different information and language. “One thing that leads to the acknowledgement of a new learning is the municipal budget law”.
Stay informed. Subscribe for project updates by e-mail.
