December 2008
Community engagement is not a new topic for local government, and communities are often involved in the planning and development of local services.
However, there has been a shift in the emphasis of government policy from the need to engage communities (community engagement) and empower them to make real decisions about the delivery of public services (community empowerment).
This publication looks at the background of the community empowerment agenda and participatory budgeting.
The full publication 'Participatory budgeting from Brazil to Britain: What can you learn for your local authority?' can be found here.