Local Government
330
Large Cities
2
Capital Cities
14
Regional or State Governments
0
National Government
0
Other Institutions
4
Local Government
330
Large Cities
2
Capital Cities
14
Regional or State Governments
0
National Government
0
Other Institutions
4
Community
Capital
Madrid
Population
47 076 780
Language
Spanish
Currency
Euro
Indexes
Democracy
16
Full Democracy
Democracy
Democracy
16
Full Democracy
Democracy
Corruption Perception
30/180
Medium
Corruption Perception
Corruption Perception
30/180
Medium
Corruption Perception
Human Development
25
Very High
Human Development
Human Development
25
Very High
Human Development
World Happiness
28/153
Very High
World Happiness
World Happiness
28/153
Very High
World Happiness
Global Peace
32
High
Global Peace
Global Peace
32
High
Global Peace
Global Terrorism
59
Low
Global Terrorism
Global Terrorism
59
Low
Global Terrorism
Legislação sobre Orçamentos Participativos
In Spain there is no law that regulates the right to citizen participation or Participatory Budgeting, although both the Constitution and the “Local Government Law” mention citizen participation.
Law 7/1985 regulating the “Bases for Local Government” demanded the city councils to approve regulations regarding citizen participation. However, Participatory Budgeting has not always been regulated through such regulations and in fact, in many cases, city councils have provided specific regulations for Participatory Budgeting.
Between 2010 and 2019 all the autonomous communities have approved laws about citizen participation. The most recently approved laws are the ones concerning the territories of Navarre (2019), Castilla la Mancha (2019), Balearic Islands (2019) and Madrid (2019). A good part of the laws has been elaborated within the framework of the adaptation to the state regulations on transparency. Others, such as Galicia, Navarre, Catalonia, Castile-La Mancha, the Balearic Islands and Andalusia have legislated participation issues in a specific manner.
Of the 17 autonomous communities, seven list Participatory Budgeting as one of their participation instruments. They are as follows:
- Law 4/2013 of May 21st of the Open Government of Extremadura;
- Law 2/2016 of April 7th on Local Institutions in the Basque Country;
- Law 7/2017 of December 27 on Citizen Participation in Andalusia;
- Regulations of Citizen Participation of the Region of Murcia (2018) that develops the Law 12/2014 of Transparency and Citizen Participation;
- Law 12/2019 of March 12, on popular consultations and participatory processes in the Balearic Islands;
- Regional Law 12/2019 of March 22 on Democratic Participation in Navarre;
- Law 8/2019 of December 13 on Participation of Castilla la Mancha.
Outstanding Innovations
The Participatory Budgeting processes registered during 2019 are mostly processes that have their origin in the mandate 2015- 2019 of the local governments in Spain, a political period that has meant the greatest growth of the PB experiences.
The predominant model is characterized by a combination of online and offline participation. It also is different from previous models of PB in Spain since it usually (1) does not include spaces for deliberation concerning the proposals, (2) does not apply corrective measures to the vote in order to incorporate social justice criteria and (3) it is designed and regulated by the local government itself, without the participation of the citizens.
The sectorial processes identified are youth PB. Some of them are open to the entire young population (e.g., 12-30 years) and others are developed in secondary schools. This type of process is increasing.
In Spain, 2019 is a year defined by the local elections that took place in May. Therefore, it is divided in two political cycles. After the municipal elections, a decrease in the number of local institutions that continue implementing PB initiatives was noted. Elections and changes of government often mean a hiatus in local policy planning, which means that many processes have not automatically resumed.
This is a sign of the still deficient institutionalization of Participatory Budgeting processes, which depends on the electoral cycle and shift of governments.
INITIAL REFERENCE FOR THE ADOPTION OF PB IN THE COUNTRY
The first experiences in Spain emerged in 2000, influenced by the Porto Alegre experience. Mainly local left-wing governments were pioneers regarding the implementation of PB processes, following the example of PT (Workers’ Party) in Brazil and were often involved in networks such as the Forum of Local Authorities linked to the World Social Forum, that served as a channel for exchanging information and experiences.
SUBSEQUENT REFERENCE FOR PB DISSEMINATION
In the first stage (2001- 2011) the local governments that promotedthemostPBprocesses thecityofCordobaand Seville and also the province of Malaga) also adopted policies regarding decentralized international cooperation linked to the expansion of PB. In this sense, cooperation relations with local governments, mainly in Latin America, generated flows of reciprocal influence and reinforcement of participatory democracy initiatives.
From 2015, Spain stood out internationally for the unprecedented boost of the use of digital tools in the PB, with experiences led by Barcelona (Decidim platform) and, especially, Madrid (Consul platform) that will have a wide transfer to other Spanish municipalities. The Consul platform received the United Nations Public Service Award (UNPSA) in 2018 and it will be implemented in dozens of cities, mainly in Latin America and Europe.
Impacts of COVID-19 Disease on PB
- PB have been suspended: 50%
- PB continued to function normally: 20%
- PB have undergone changes/adaptations: 30%
Main Trends of PB in the Country During the Pandemic
Since the beginning of the health emergency in Spain, some processes that were active saw their schedules postponed. Others have suffered delays in the implementation of the proposals. The budgetary restrictions of the governments in general, and municipal governments in particular seem to be affecting the cycle of execution of the Participatory Budgeting. From the operational point of view, the main modification that has been identified is the use of digital tools in the processes, replacing actions designed for face-to-face interactions.
In mid-2020, many local governments have not yet announced their intentions regarding the development of PB processes. There are few cases where the beginning of the processes has been announced after the summer months, but there are also governments that have formally declared their intention to suspend it. Although at this moment it may be too early to make an overall evaluation, the trend suggests a significant decrease in PB cases in 2020. Also, it is not possible to predict the impact that these changes might have in the medium term.
Additional Information
The electoral context and the political upheaval experienced in Spain during 2019 have generated a climate of political temporariness, alteration of institutional activity and priorities, and tension that may have influenced the development of Participatory Budgeting processes. In 2018, Spain witnessed the first motion of censorship that was successful for democracy, causing a change of government that would last less than 1 year, in view of the impossibility of approving general budgets.
The year 2019 started with the call for general elections on April 28th, which were in addition to the municipal, regional and European elections already called. The parliamentary groups resulting from the April 28 general elections were unable to reach agreements regarding the constitution of the government and new elections were called again on November 10. The period between the elections and the open and fragile framework of negotiation between the different political actors conditioned the political alliances at the different institutional levels, the rhythms and times of the configuration of the governments and the revival of normality in the institutional activity.
