Participatory Budgeting (PB) combines the characteristics of direct democracy and deliberative democracy, where citizens can determine how to spend part of the public budget or prioritise spending items. During the Participatory Budgeting process, residents are encouraged to discuss the needs of their community, provide initiatives, decide on public expenditure by voting, and then monitor the implementation of chosen initiatives. This democratic process allows ordinary people to participate in public affairs in a direct, voluntary, universal, and equal way.

In the first quarter of 2021, MWYO piloted a PB scheme in Choi Fook Estate, taking a bottom-up approach for residents to make decisions on the public budget of their local community.

The full version of the commentary is in Chinese only.