Socialism Works As Participatory Budgeting

Socialists are not waiting for the revolution. They have started building socialism here and now.

Participatory budgeting is one process for providing most people in a city or municipality with more power to decide on city budgets. I do not fully understand it, but it includes more direct democracy. I suppose this process is close to how syndicates and soviets were supposed to work.

I think of a budget as an expression of values. Participatory budgeting is an attempt to allow all of a community to express their values, not just an elite few.

Participatory budgeting was first implemented in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in 1989. More about it is here and here. I see that they do it in Saratoga Springs, not too far away from where I am. As I understand it, New York City limits the part of their budget that follows the participatory budgeting process. But they do have some.

Anyways, participatory budgeting can be seen as a forerunner of what may come. Many know more than me on this topic.