25 Questions on Initiative Budgeting: manual
Шрифт:
The most famous practices of initiative budgeting in Russia are: the World Bank Local Initiative Support Program (PPMI), Participatory Budgeting(European University in Conjunction with the Committee of Civil Initiatives [CCI]), People’s Budget, and People’s Initiative in various regions of Russia.
The PPMI has been implemented in Russia since 2007 and is recognized as one of the best social programs of the World Bank. Within the framework of the program, about 4000 projects have been implemented in eight regions of the Russian Federation: the Stavropol Territory, the Kirov, Tver, Nizhny Novgorod Regions, the Republic of Bashkortostan, the Khabarovsk Territory, the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, and the Jewish Autonomous Region.
The distinctive features of this practice are the participation of citizens in the selection of priority projects, the implementation and monitoring of projects, co-financing.
Participatory budgeting works in several municipalities of the Leningrad, Vologda, and Kirov Regions. Unlike PPMI, this practice does not imply the co-financing of projects by citizens. Members of budget commissions selected by drawing lots among interested citizens discuss which decisions have a priority to be implemented.
People’s Budget and People’s Initiative (s) are programs initiated by the All-Russian Political Party “Edinaya Rossia” (United Russia) and the National Front (ONF) during the 2010–2011 elections. Dozens of Russian regions declared their participation. More than 80 billion rubles were allocated within the framework of these practices. Unfortunately, these practices did not develop in the following years, and most of the regional programs were closed.
Currently in Russia there is an active search for new practices of initiative budgeting, first of all, the practices of involving urban citizens in initiative budgeting.
Reference
Basic Model of Involvement in the Budgetary Process
Ladder of participation:
1. Passive participation.
2. Access to information.
3. Consultations.
4. Joint decision-making.
5. Initiation and control by those who receive the result from social changes.
6. Formation of self-motivation for action (the highest form of involvement).
Question 4
What is the algorithm of initiative budgeting?
From country to country, from region to region, the mechanisms for involving citizens in the budget process are somewhat different. In its most general form, the algorithm provides for the following stages:
• According to the decision of the regional government body, the amount of budgetary funds for the initiative budgeting program is determined.
• The design of the IB practice, its calendar cycle is determined, appropriate orders, regulations and resolutions are adopted. In rare cases, changes are made in the regional legislation.
• Public discussions are organized where citizens formulate and discuss ideas to solve the most pressing problems for them. In these discussions, citizens exchange opinions, formulate their own proposals and learn about other proposals. It is important for everyone to have an opportunity to express their views on the priorities of spending.
Then, with the participation of a consultant, there is a dropout of those ideas that do not correspond to formal criteria (minimum and maximum cost of project implementation, property issues, authorities).
Then the vote takes place, where from the remaining short list citizens select the most important ideas.
• With the support of consultants and representatives of the municipal government, initiative groups work on ideas with the largest number of votes casted, and prepare project documentation for them.
• Implementation of projects is provided with financing. In some practices of initiative budgeting, a contest is envisaged: not all projects put forward by citizens are provided with financing, but only those that score the most points according to the formulated criteria. Another feature is the co-financing of projects by citizens, the amount of which is determined by the citizens themselves at the same meeting.
• Under the standard state procurement procedure, contractors responsible for the practical implementation of projects are selected.
• Projects are implemented under the control of citizens.
Question 5
What is the maximum cost of the project, which can be implemented with the help of IB?
The cost of initiative budgeting projects is much less than the cost of investment projects. It should be remembered that the main area of application of initiative budgeting in Russia is the solution of local issues.
Reference
Most practices of initiative budgeting introduce restrictions on the upper limit of the amount of state funding. For cities, it is 2 million rubles, for villages – up to 1 million rubles. At the same time, along with state funds for the implementation of projects, funds from municipalities, citizens and businesses are attracted.
The amount of co-financing of funds from these sources is not limited. In general, in the Russian Federation, co-financing reaches a third of project implementation costs. In the Stavropol Territory, Rodnikovskoye Village, Arzgir District, over 20 million rubles were co-financed from the funds of the municipality and business for the repair of the school sports hall.
The average cost of PPMI micro projects in the Tver Region is a little more than 700 thousand rubles. In 2016, the program as a whole in the region was allocated 165 million rubles.