The Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship? Participatory Budgeting in Hungary

Abstract

In Hungary, there are no legal requirements for participatory budgeting. The planning and implementation of the state budget are traditionally done based on budget chapters that fit the tasks of the ministries. Although a new law on public finances was adopted in 2011, it does not include provisions for involving citizens in the budget planning process. Moreover, in recent years, there has been a decline in the transparency of budgetary processes and an increase in the government’s room for manoeuvre in implementing the budget. However, in contrast to these processes, there are several local governments that are making a serious effort to implement participatory budgeting in practice, especially after the 2019 local elections. The present study analyses these processes and presents the concrete results achieved so far, as well as the impact on the involvement of local governments.