Orçamento participativo: estudo de caso do município de Canoas/RS

Abstract

Participatory Budget is a process from which municipal governments aim to decide, with society, criteria and priorities for use of public resources. This article aimed to analyze the effectiveness of the implementation of Participatory Budget in the city of Canoas/Rio Grande do Sul. It was realized a case study about the implementation process and the results of the Participatory Budget in that city, being an exploratory and descriptive study. Data collection was conducted through desk research. The analyzed documents were provided by Municipal Secretary of Institutional Relations, as well as search for information on the electronic portal of the city. These documents were analyzed qualitatively from the confrontation with the theory about the subject. Results showed Participatory Budget was put into practice in 2009 in Canoas, using as model the Participatory Budget process developed in Porto Alegre/Rio Grande do Sul. Since its inception, 149 claims were elected, which unfolded on 252 works. Moreover, accumulated 103,018 participants, representing 30% of the population. Its implementation was based on the principles of citizenship and democracy, social organization and population decision on the issues of the city. It was concluded that the Participatory Budget in Canoas allows the people to say, discuss and decide with governments the needs of each region of the city, building a participatory democracy.