Open Participatory Democracy in the Basque Country: The Role of Open Digital Platforms in Public Budgeting and Finance

Abstract

The processes of formulation, implementation and political deliberation for the correct operationalization of public administrations has transformed into a complex endeavour at a time where the idea of representative democracy is going through important changes and future challenges. The idea of public administration and governance has become increasingly decentralized and overloaded with new interactive processes which involve a greater number of political and social actors. This has given rise to new collaborative, interactive, and participatory governance strategies to create new public and social value. Moreover, this has opened the gate for the emergence of new digital platforms of participatory democracy, clearing the path for public and digital social innovation. This paper is focused on an open participatory initiative developed by the Provincial Government of Gipuzkoa in the Basque Country, to develop a digital platform Public Budgeting for the year 2018. This strategy was developed along 2017 to redefine public budgeting through agile platforms of citizen participation.