Illustration by Jorge Ilieff—IDB.

From the ballot box to the ledger sheet

Why some Latin American cities are asking ordinary citizens to decide how public funds should be spent

The subject was street lighting. the venue was City Hall. But the decision makers were not the mayor, not the City Council, not even a group of senior municipal officials. Instead, the 32 "counselors" making the critical decisions on street lighting were delegates sent by neighborhood assemblies to defend local budget priorities....

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