Digital tools enable citizen budgeting

[Commentary] The popular narrative in this election cycle is one of popular disillusionment and cynicism with government. Yet, this national narrative overlooks the power and energy of citizens coming together in their communities to solve problems. Across the country, people are working with their neighbors to strengthen their communities, re-imagine engagement with elected officials, and leverage new technologies to improve governance. These are some of the topics I address in my recent Brookings book with Harvard’s Ash Center; Democracy Reinvented: Participatory Budgeting and Civic Innovation in America. The book looks at an array of civic innovations, from the rise of open government data for community-based decisionmaking to civic crowdfunding where people pledge small-dollar amounts to fund public works.

Diverse examples include structured listening processes that empower people to set mayoral priorities and the multi-stakeholder Open Government Partnership that promotes greater government transparency and accountability. The book highlights the power of deliberate, structured participation opportunities to improve public decision making. Participatory budgeting and other civic innovations suggest the opportunity for experimentation and digital tools to provide new opportunities for citizens to engage with the state. These innovations may not be a panacea for status quo politics in the United States, but they do suggest that we can more creatively equip citizens as problem solvers and civic participants in 21st century society.

[Hollie Russon Gilman holds a PhD from Harvard's Department of Government and is the former open government and innovation advisor in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.]