Global analog:"Participatory Budgeting" (USA, Canada) The year of realization:2014 Type of innovation:digital; social; managerial Urban function: citizen’s participation; governmental services; The level of implementation: municipal Participants: government authorities; citizens The model of communication: P2P; P2G Source: link 1, link 2
Problem in Russia: The Active Citizen project solves several social and civic issues aimed at increasing the level of citizen participation in city governance and improving the quality of life. The main aspects of the problem:
The lack of an effective tool for taking into account the opinions of citizens when making managerial decisions, which leads to low activity and lack of feedback from authorities.
Citizens often do not know how to convey their ideas and proposals to officials. This creates a barrier between society and government agencies.
Many decisions are made without the participation of the population, which can cause discontent and distrust of the authorities. The project promotes a more open dialogue between the government and citizens.
The project promotes the formation of communities that support initiatives and share experiences, which strengthens social ties.
Solution in Russia: Some of the tasks that the platform solves:
The growth of public engagement. People are beginning to feel their importance and are more actively involved in the life of the region, which creates a positive image of the government.
Transparency of decision-making. All voting results are open, and citizens can monitor the implementation of their proposals, which increases the level of trust in management processes.
Reducing the administrative burden. The digital platform automates the collection of opinions and suggestions, simplifying the work of government agencies.
Improvement of social infrastructure. Initiatives supported by the majority are being implemented, which improves the quality of life.
Quality control of services. Assessment through QR codes helps to quickly respond to problems in the housing and communal services, transport, healthcare and other areas.
Key differences from the global analog: One of the differences is that in Participatory Budgeting, the administration does not know which project the citizens will choose. The decision on spending the funds allocated for the infrastructure facility is made by the participants themselves. The administration determines only the amounts and procedures for the selection of projects. The Active Citizen project, in turn, assumes that the decision on the implementation of a particular project has already been made. Citizens are given the opportunity to vote for the modification, but their votes do not affect the spending goals. Another difference is related to democratic models: Participation Budgeting uses direct personal participation, while the Active Citizen project uses an indirect, representative mechanism. In the first case, each participant is "equal to himself" and "represents" himself, in the second, groups with special interests are identified, and the task is to reconcile opposing interests.
Since 2014, more than 2,000 courtyards, streets, parks and embankments have acquired a modern look thanks to voting.
New standards for the activities of polyclinics, libraries and public service centers "My Documents" have been developed and implemented
More than a million trees and shrubs have been planted.
More than 130 urban objects have been named, including streets, squares, and metro stations.
Targeted voting – such voting involves those who are directly interested in resolving the issue, such as residents of a particular neighborhood or house, or representatives of a social or community group
