Participatory budgeting

This bachelor thesis analyses the topic of participatory budgeting, its definition, history, development, or benefits and risks associated with it. It also analyses the possibilities of its implementation and compares the development across several European countries. Practical part of the thesis analyses three Czech local administrations that differ in their implementation of participatory budgeting. The administration of Jesenice u Prahy, which hardly utilises it, states the high costs of the whole process’ administration as the main reason. They rather allocate budgets based on individual citizens' suggestions and needs. Jílové u Prahy uses participatory budgets with moderation, nevertheless the administration praises it as a highly effective tool for understanding its citizens and their needs much more quickly and for uncovering the "invisible" problems of the area. On the other hand, Prague-Troja uses participatory budgeting very frequently and does not have a set financial ceiling to it compared to the previous ones, but rather allocates the budgets according to the quality of individual proposals. As the main motivation, the administration of Prague-Troja mentions the possibility of being closer to the citizens and improving the quality of life in the area.