Participatory Budgeting Practices in Public Organization Management

Purpose: The article analyses the implementation of participatory budgeting in public sector organisations (Polish municipalities), reflecting the social responsibility of municipalities as public organisations. |It focuses on alignment with best practices and the principles of social participation. The research evaluates organisational structures, citizen engagement, digitalisation, monitoring, and evaluation processes. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study employs a quantitative research design using the CAWI (Computer-Assisted Web Interviewing) method. Data was collected from 320 municipalities, achieving a response rate of 47.33% (142 administrative units). Respondents were municipal officials responsible for participatory budgeting coordination. Findings: The research identifies significant professionalisation efforts, including the establishment of specialised teams (78.57%), dedicated organisational units (64.04%), and transparent team selection (90.7%). Despite these advances, challenges persist, such as the absence of dedicated units in 22.47% of cases and limited citizen representation in teams (25.76%). Digitalisation is progressing, with 79.69% of municipalities utilising dedicated websites and 91.67% employing online voting. However, low adoption of mobile applications (8.33%) and inconsistent monitoring (47.37%) and evaluation practices (41.38%) highlight organisational and technological gaps. Only 43.10% of municipalities use evaluation outcomes to refine processes, limiting iterative improvements. Practical Implications: The study emphasises the need for standardised practices, enhanced community engagement mechanisms, and improved digital tools to address identified gaps. Strengthening monitoring and evaluation frameworks is essential for increasing transparency and optimising participatory budgeting processes Originality/Value: This research provides a comprehensive assessment of participatory budgeting in Polish municipalities, offering valuable insights into its strengths and weaknesses. It contributes to the discourse on improving participatory mechanisms and public governance.