Real Money, Real Power?

More about the book

Focusing on New York City's participatory budgeting (PB) process, the book offers an in-depth, community-centered analysis of its implementation and challenges. Through a multi-methodological study, it highlights issues such as lack of transparency, manipulation by city agencies, and unequal treatment of project proposals. Rather than presenting a unified PB initiative, it reveals numerous distinct projects shaped by individual council members. The findings suggest significant shortcomings and advocate for substantial reforms to enhance the effectiveness of participatory budgeting.