The less opaque of the participatory budget of Anne Hidalgo in Paris

This is the new proposal to the mode within the local executives, councils, departments or other authorities: let the people choose how to spend a portion of the public money. In Paris, municipality star of the “participatory budget” for 2014 with 5% of the capital investment is € 100 million each year, citizens submit themselves to the ideas. After a phase of analysis of the feasibility of the projects, those who are selected are submitted to a vote: the city council has announced some 143.489 voters this year (6.6% of the population), for projects ranging from a few hundred to several million euros. Pauline Véron, deputy Anne Hidalgo in support of local democracy emphasises with the Figaro that the participatory budget is now a consensus among the mayors of the boroughs who each year roll over their initiatives are voluntary”. A new “must” of local democracy? Everything seems to be …