Participatory budgeting : heading towards a ‘civil’ democracy?

This paper provides a theoretical evaluation of the recent spread of participatory budgeting practices worldwide. Several different participatory initiatives are emerging, but participatory budgeting (PB) seems to be the most valid option for dealing with the crisis of democracy. PB is discussed from the background of the various approaches of democratic theory and the implications on the discourse of the governance role of civil society. The systemic involvement of civil society actors through multiple, open and deliberative arenas make PB not just an example of participatory democracy among the others but, rather, a potentially new model of ‘civil’ representative democracy.