Participatory budgeting and Communal councils provide a panacea to today’s tainted system of democracy. Their redemptive feature lies in that they are non-divisive, as opposed to representative democracy, which thrives on political pragmatism. Essentially, these movements believe that real democracy can only be built from down up. Citizens are encouraged to participate in framing policy at the grassroots level.
The common man sees democracy as synonymous with elections. But this is just one facet of democracy—a political component. Consequently, citizens do not have a direct say in economic and social policy. Participatory budgeting allows citizens to determine how funding for civic projects is used. This creates greater transparency in the implementation of government allocations. Communal councils in Brazil and Venezuela allow citizens a greater role in framing public policy, notably health care. Co-operatives eliminate the middlemen and ensure that the producer gets a fair price.
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