Does Participatory Budgeting Still Matter When a Global Threat Emerges Next Door? Evidence from Poland

Participatory mechanisms have emerged as an attempt to reduce urban practices that create uneven realities in many cities. In Poland, various instruments of civic engagement in urban policies have been developed to address this challenge. It has been over ten years since one such instrument, participatory budgeting (PB), was implemented in 2014 in the six largest Polish cities. This paper aims to explore the extent to which PB has developed in these cities and how resistant it has become to global threats such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. The empirical analysis, based on surveys and desk research, reveals the residents’ engagement in PB is largely influenced by a series of shifts in both local and international politics. The findings suggest that the triggers of participation often refer to critical moments in local policy that temporarily reshape urban life. Likewise, the factors that hinder the success of PB are linked not only to internal barriers but also to upheavals in global politics, which may reduce interests in local matters.