Resistências no orçamento participativo em municípios brasileiros

Abstract

Citizen participation in public budget processes allows individuals to directly influence the allocation of public funds by government agencies. However, these decisions can generate conflicts and resistance from public officials involved in the process. To assess resistance to popular participation, it is necessary to clearly describe the effects of such resistance. This research aims to investigate the perceived resistance by municipal government officials responsible for organizing participatory spaces for the implementation of participatory budgeting. Grounded in institutional logics theory, the study targeted municipal government managers responsible for organizing participatory spaces for the implementation of participatory budgeting. Data were collected through an electronic questionnaire and analyzed using quantitative analysis to address the problem and descriptive analysis for the objectives, as well as qualitative analysis for open-ended questions. The investigated aspects included general information on the use of participatory budgeting; abandonment of participatory budgeting; never having used participatory budgeting; the participation process; resistance to participation; the relationship between government teams and citizens; and general characteristics of the respondents. The study concluded that resistance is associated with institutional, cultural, and political factors, such as the perception of increased workload, lack of trust in citizens’ technical capacity, and fear of losing control over the decision-making process. This study contributes to the literature on participatory budgeting and public governance by identifying the reasons for the decline in its effectiveness and implementation. This analysis may help outline strategies to revitalize and strengthen citizen participation in the budgetary process. Moreover, by addressing public officials' resistance, this research highlights institutional challenges that hinder the full adoption of this instrument.