I was interviewed this morning on Radio New Zealand's 'Ideas' show hosted by Chris Laidlaw which focused on 'Democracy beyond the ballot box. New technology and its role in the provision of people's say.'' Aside from winning some free movie tickets for being caller number nine, this was my first radio experience. Quite a nerve racking experience!
The first part of the interview features Giovanni Allegretti talking about participatory budgeting then Karen Cronin talks about her experiences. I follow up at the end with our work with Citizens Panels and some of the Delib case studies. Have a listen below.
Democracy Beyond the Ballot Box
Tens of thousands of the residents of Brazil’s Porto Alegre take part in forums that determine how the city’s finances will be spent every year. The city of 1.5 million people pioneered the use of participatory budgeting shortly after the return of democracy in the 1980s. And the idea is spreading, with more than 1000 cities around the world now practising some form of participatory budgeting. Jeremy Rose speaks to Giovanni Allegretti, an architect who studied in Porto Alegre and is involved in participatory budgeting projects around the globe, and Karen Cronin, a science team leader at Landcare Research with an academic interest in participatory democracy; and Chris Laidlaw speaks to Jared Bothwell of Public Voice – a software company that facilitates public consultation and engagement.
Produced by Jeremy Rose.