Abstract Participatory budgeting (PB) has emerged as one of the most common models for implementing participatory democracy. One of the stated goals of many PB initiatives is to engage underrepresented groups and individuals in decision-making. The participation of immigrants in the public sphere supports their integration into a new society. PB mechanisms have the potential to serve as spaces for immigrant political representation because they do not require participants to be naturalized citizens. PB offers noncitizen immigrants in New York, Chicago, and Toronto meaningful opportunities for engagement and civic learning, but its benefits remain limited by structural and institutional barriers. Positive outcomes are strongest where PB is more institutionalized, well-supported, and inclusive, while weaker commitment, narrow project scope, and insufficient outreach constrain its transformative potential, particularly for immigrant women facing intersecting gendered and cultural barriers.
Pascal Lupien (Sun,) studied this question.