Inception Report – Action plan – Zagreb, Croatia, 2024 – 2025
- Action Plan: Action plan – Zagreb, Croatia, 2024 – 2025
Overview
Name of Evaluator
Mendeš, Obrt za usluge, vl. Ivona Mendeš Levak
Member Name
Zagreb, Croatia
Action PlanAction plans are at the core of a government’s participation in OGP. They are the product of a co-creation process in which government and civil society jointly develop commitments to open governmen... Title
Action plan – Zagreb, Croatia, 2024 – 2025
Section 1.
Compliance with
co-creation requirements
1.1 Does a forum exist?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The local government ensured a regular, multi-stakeholder space for participation in the development of the action plan and its commitments, both offline and online. The offline activities were held at two open forums at the ZGForum location on 3 Oct. (with 55 participants) and 26 Nov. 2024 (with 34 participants), in an event named ZGBit, which included local government representatives, civil society and other non-governmental stakeholders. Calls for participation were issued via the local government webpage, Facebook, Meetup, through the media, by putting up posters and by email. Also, the local government conducted a series of individual online consultations, starting in July 2024, with six non-governmental stakeholders, who also endorsed the action plan, as listed in the Action Plan text (p. 10. Endorsement from Non-Governmental Stakeholders).
In addition, the local government ensured there was very detailed record keeping of the entire co-creation processCollaboration between government, civil society and other stakeholders (e.g., citizens, academics, private sector) is at the heart of the OGP process. Participating governments must ensure that a dive....
Provide evidence for your answer:
Grad Zagreb službene stranice – Partnerstvo za otvorenu vlas
Grad Zagreb službene stranice – Otvoreni podaci
Zagreb OGP Action Plan 2024-2025
Provide references here (e.g. interviews):
- Records of invitations, e-mails exchanged with stakeholders, lists of participants, photographs from offline events
- 11 stakeholder interviews conducted from 21 Feb. – 12 Mar. 2025:
- 4 representatives of the City of Zagreb: Maja Šajnović (28 Feb. 2025), Marijana Tovernić (28 Feb. 2025, Hrvoje Kalčiček (4 Mar. 2025), and Aleksandra Grubić Jureško (5 Mar. 2025)
- 6 representatives of non-government stakeholders: Mihaela Bronić (Institute of Public Finance, 21 Feb. 2025), Oriana Ivković Novokmet (GONG, 27 Feb. 2025), Marijana Sumpor (Croatian Network of Evaluators, 27 Feb. 2025), Andrei Zvonimir Crnković (HrOpen, 27 Feb. 2025), Marko Ercegović (Association of Cities, 28 Feb. 2025), and Jadranka Lovrić (Faculty of Electrical Engeneering and Computing, 12 Mar. 2025)
- 1 representative of OGP Local: Jose Maria Marin (7 Mar. 2025)
1.2 Is the forum multi-stakeholder?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The forum is multi-stakeholder as it– aside from representatives of city offices – included many participants who were not part of the local government in both offline events, as well as civil society organizations, networks of professionals and organizations involved in evaluating projects, programs and policies, academic institutions, public research institutes and public associations. Regular meetings with each were organized to design the action plan and review progress throughout the process.
Provide evidence for your answer:
Grad Zagreb službene stranice – Partnerstvo za otvorenu vlas
Grad Zagreb službene stranice – Otvoreni podaci
Zagreb OGP Action Plan 2024-2025
Provide references here (e.g. interviews):
- Records of invitations, e-mails exchanged with stakeholders, lists of participants, photographs from offline events
- 11 stakeholder interviews conducted from 21 Feb. – 12 Mar. 2025:
- 4 representatives of the City of Zagreb: Maja Šajnović (28 Feb. 2025), Marijana Tovernić (28 Feb. 2025, Hrvoje Kalčiček (4 Mar. 2025), and Aleksandra Grubić Jureško (5 Mar. 2025)
- 6 representatives of non-government stakeholders: Mihaela Bronić (Institute of Public Finance, 21 Feb. 2025), Oriana Ivković Novokmet (GONG, 27 Feb. 2025), Marijana Sumpor (Croatian Network of Evaluators, 27 Feb. 2025), Andrei Zvonimir Crnković (HrOpen, 27 Feb. 2025), Marko Ercegović (Association of Cities, 28 Feb. 2025), and Jadranka Lovrić (Faculty of Electrical Engeneering and Computing, 12 Mar. 2025)
- 1 representative of OGP Local: Jose Maria Marin (7 Mar. 2025)
1.3 Does the forum hold at least one meeting with civil society and non-governmental stakeholders during the co-creation of the action plan?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
There were 10 meetings in total (2 offline and 8 online) with many stakeholders, including individual online meetings with 6 stakeholders who endorsed the Action Plan.
Provide evidence for your answer:
Grad Zagreb službene stranice – Partnerstvo za otvorenu vlas
Grad Zagreb službene stranice – Otvoreni podaci
Zagreb OGP Action Plan 2024-2025
Provide references here (e.g. interviews):
- Records of invitations, e-mails exchanged with stakeholders, lists of participants, photographs from offline events
- 11 stakeholder interviews conducted from 21 Feb. – 12 Mar. 2025:
- 4 representatives of the City of Zagreb: Maja Šajnović (28 Feb. 2025), Marijana Tovernić (28 Feb. 2025, Hrvoje Kalčiček (4 Mar. 2025), and Aleksandra Grubić Jureško (5 Mar. 2025)
- 6 representatives of non-government stakeholders: Mihaela Bronić (Institute of Public Finance, 21 Feb. 2025), Oriana Ivković Novokmet (GONG, 27 Feb. 2025), Marijana Sumpor (Croatian Network of Evaluators, 27 Feb. 2025), Andrei Zvonimir Crnković (HrOpen, 27 Feb. 2025), Marko Ercegović (Association of Cities, 28 Feb. 2025), and Jadranka Lovrić (Faculty of Electrical Engeneering and Computing, 12 Mar. 2025)
- 1 representative of OGP Local: Jose Maria Marin (7 Mar. 2025)
1.4 Has the action plan been endorsed by the stakeholders of the forum or steering committeeThe Steering Committee is OGP’s executive decision-making body. Its role is to develop, promote and safeguard OGP’s values, principles and interests; establish OGP’s core ideas, policies, and ru.../group?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The Action Plan contains a list of non-governmental stakeholders who endorsed it (p. 10. Endorsement from Non-Governmental Stakeholders), which was confirmed by each stakeholder in interviews conducted by the Independent monitoring body, during the preparation of this report.
Provide evidence for your answer:
Zagreb OGP Action Plan 2024-2025.pdf
Provide references here (e.g. interviews):
- 11 stakeholder interviews conducted from 21 Feb. – 12 Mar. 2025:
- 4 representatives of the City of Zagreb: Maja Šajnović (28 Feb. 2025), Marijana Tovernić (28 Feb. 2025, Hrvoje Kalčiček (4 Mar. 2025), and Aleksandra Grubić Jureško (5 Mar. 2025)
- 6 representatives of non-government stakeholders: Mihaela Bronić (Institute of Public Finance, 21 Feb. 2025), Oriana Ivković Novokmet (GONG, 27 Feb. 2025), Marijana Sumpor (Croatian Network of Evaluators, 27 Feb. 2025), Andrei Zvonimir Crnković (HrOpen, 27 Feb. 2025), Marko Ercegović (Association of Cities, 28 Feb. 2025), and Jadranka Lovrić (Faculty of Electrical Engeneering and Computing, 12 Mar. 2025)
- 1 representative of OGP Local: Jose Maria Marin (7 Mar. 2025)
Section 2.
Recommended practices
in co-creation
2.1 Does the government maintain a Local OGP website or webpage on a government website where information on the OGP Local process (co-creation and implementation) is proactively published?
No
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
There is currently no website or webpage on a local government website with information on the OGP Local process. According to local government stakeholders, the city is in the process of redesigning its website so, other than news items on ZGBit forums being held, there is no particular information on the OGP Local process. The city is currently relying on the OGP Local website for publishing the text of the Action Plan. Also, according to local government stakeholders, the new website will include a webpage on the OGP Local, with information on the co-creation process, the text of the action plan and its commitments, and data on commitmentOGP commitments are promises for reform co-created by governments and civil society and submitted as part of an action plan. Commitments typically include a description of the problem, concrete action... progress/completion.
Provide references here (e.g. interviews):
- Zagreb OGP Local Page
- Zagreb Website
- 4 stakeholder interviews conducted from 28 Feb. – 5 Mar. 2025:
- 4 representatives of the City of Zagreb: Maja Šajnović (28 Feb. 2025), Marijana Tovernić (28 Feb. 2025, Hrvoje Kalčiček (4 Mar. 2025), and Aleksandra Grubić Jureško (5 Mar. 2025)
2.2 Did the government provide information to stakeholders in advance to facilitate informed and prepared participation in the co-creation process?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
Both the offline and online discussions with non-governmental stakeholders were prefaced with information that prepared them for participation in the co-creation process. According to interviewed stakeholders, they were given information and documentation in advance, via e-mail or by using other forms of communication, on the topics to be discussed, and stakeholders who participated in individual online meetings were sent draft versions of the text during the action plan design process.
Provide evidence for your answer:
Grad Zagreb službene stranice – Partnerstvo za otvorenu vlas
Grad Zagreb službene stranice – Otvoreni podaci
Provide references here (e.g. interviews):
- Records of invitations, e-mails exchanged with stakeholders
- 10 stakeholder interviews conducted from 21 Feb. – 12 Mar. 2025:
- 4 representatives of the City of Zagreb: Maja Šajnović (28 Feb. 2025), Marijana Tovernić (28 Feb. 2025, Hrvoje Kalčiček (4 Mar. 2025), and Aleksandra Grubić Jureško (5 Mar. 2025)
- 6 representatives of non-government stakeholders: Mihaela Bronić (Institute of Public Finance, 21 Feb. 2025), Oriana Ivković Novokmet (GONG, 27 Feb. 2025), Marijana Sumpor (Croatian Network of Evaluators, 27 Feb. 2025), Andrei Zvonimir Crnković (HrOpen, 27 Feb. 2025), Marko Ercegović (Association of Cities, 28 Feb. 2025), and Jadranka Lovrić (Faculty of Electrical Engeneering and Computing, 12 Mar. 2025)
2.3 Did the government ensure that any interested member of the public could make inputs into the action plan and observe or have access to decision-making documentation?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
Aside from individual online consultations with non-government stakeholders, the local government organized two offline multi-stakeholder events for anyone interested in participating in the development of the action plan and its commitments. The offline ZGBit events were held on 3 Oct. (with 55 participants) and 26 Nov. 2024 (with 34 participants), and included local government representatives, civil society and other non-governmental stakeholders. Calls for participation were issued via the local government webpage, Facebook, Meetup, through the media, by putting up posters and by email. This created a space for any interested member of the public to give input on the action plan draft and observe or have access to decision-making.
Provide evidence for your answer:
Grad Zagreb službene stranice – Partnerstvo za otvorenu vlas
Grad Zagreb službene stranice – Otvoreni podaci
Zagreb OGP Action Plan 2024-2025
Provide references here (e.g. interviews):
- Records of invitations, e-mails exchanged with stakeholders, lists of participants, photographs from offline events
- 10 stakeholder interviews conducted from 21 Feb. – 12 Mar. 2025:
- 4 representatives of the City of Zagreb: Maja Šajnović (28 Feb. 2025), Marijana Tovernić (28 Feb. 2025, Hrvoje Kalčiček (4 Mar. 2025), and Aleksandra Grubić Jureško (5 Mar. 2025)
- 6 representatives of non-government stakeholders: Mihaela Bronić (Institute of Public Finance, 21 Feb. 2025), Oriana Ivković Novokmet (GONG, 27 Feb. 2025), Marijana Sumpor (Croatian Network of Evaluators, 27 Feb. 2025), Andrei Zvonimir Crnković (HrOpen, 27 Feb. 2025), Marko Ercegović (Association of Cities, 28 Feb. 2025), and Jadranka Lovrić (Faculty of Electrical Engeneering and Computing, 12 Mar. 2025)
2.4 Did the government proactively report back or provide written feedback to stakeholders on how their contributions were considered during the creation of the action plan?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The local government proactively provided written feedback to non-government stakeholders on how their contributions were considered during the creation of the action plan. This especially applies to individual online co-creation meetings with stakeholders, of which local government provided very detailed records to the independent monitoring body. This was also confirmed by said stakeholders in interviews held during the preparation of this report.
Provide evidence for your answer:
Zagreb OGP Action Plan 2024-20255.pdf
Provide references here (e.g. interviews):
- Records of invitations, e-mails exchanged with stakeholders, lists of participants, photographs from offline events
- 10 stakeholder interviews conducted from 21 Feb. – 12 Mar. 2025:
- 4 representatives of the City of Zagreb: Maja Šajnović (28 Feb. 2025), Marijana Tovernić (28 Feb. 2025, Hrvoje Kalčiček (4 Mar. 2025), and Aleksandra Grubić Jureško (5 Mar. 2025)6 representatives of non-government stakeholders: Mihaela Bronić (Institute of Public Finance, 21 Feb. 2025), Oriana Ivković Novokmet (GONG, 27 Feb. 2025), Marijana Sumpor (Croatian Network of Evaluators, 27 Feb. 2025), Andrei Zvonimir Crnković (HrOpen, 27 Feb. 2025), Marko Ercegović (Association of Cities, 28 Feb. 2025), and Jadranka Lovrić (Faculty of Electrical Engeneering and Computing, 12 Mar. 2025)
2.5 Was there an iterative dialogue and shared ownership between government and non-governmental stakeholders during the decision making process, including setting the agenda?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The local government provided space for an iterative dialogue and shared ownership during the decision-making process. The government, civil society organizations and other non-government stakeholders worked together to set an agenda and priorities for commitments and draft the final selection of commitments and their associated milestones. This was confirmed by stakeholders in interviews conducted by the independent monitoring body. It is also evident in the e-mails exchanged between the local government and non-government stakeholders, where each participant wrote their comments on the action plan text, and was given a response by the local government. GONG was particularly involved in the co-creation process. Also, a non-government stakeholder (representative of the Association of Cities in Croatia) took an active part in the offline forum, as one of the three presenters.
Provide evidence for your answer:
Grad Zagreb službene stranice – Partnerstvo za otvorenu vlas
Provide references here (e.g. interviews):
- Records of invitations, e-mails exchanged with stakeholders, lists of participants, photographs from offline events
- 10 stakeholder interviews conducted from 21 Feb. – 12 Mar. 2025:
- 4 representatives of the City of Zagreb: Maja Šajnović (28 Feb. 2025), Marijana Tovernić (28 Feb. 2025, Hrvoje Kalčiček (4 Mar. 2025), and Aleksandra Grubić Jureško (5 Mar. 2025)
- 6 representatives of non-government stakeholders: Mihaela Bronić (Institute of Public Finance, 21 Feb. 2025), Oriana Ivković Novokmet (GONG, 27 Feb. 2025), Marijana Sumpor (Croatian Network of Evaluators, 27 Feb. 2025), Andrei Zvonimir Crnković (HrOpen, 27 Feb. 2025), Marko Ercegović (Association of Cities, 28 Feb. 2025), and Jadranka Lovrić (Faculty of Electrical Engeneering and Computing, 12 Mar. 2025)
2.6 Would you consider the forum to be inclusive and diverse?
Moderately
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The local government undertook actions to ensure diverse representation: transparent communication (publishing information on OGP process, action plan co-creation and adoption in accessible formats), community engagement (ZGBit events, promoting the process through the media, utilizing the Association of Cities’ network to promote OGP among other local governments). This ensured that diverse groups were informed and engaged throughout the co-creation process. Key participants included city offices and departments responsible for governance, digitalization, and public service deliveryTo ensure that citizens of all groups are better supported by the government, OGP participating governments are working to improve the quality of and access to public services. Commitments in this are... More. GONG (CSO) contributed insights and expertise in civic engagement and open governance. The Croatian Evaluators Network, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing and the Institute of Public Finance contributed their expertise. The Association of Cities and the Association for Open Systems and the Internet shared their knowledge in municipal governance, transparencyAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, transparency occurs when “government-held information (including on activities and decisions) is open, comprehensive, timely, freely available to the pub... More, and digital accessibility.
Provide evidence for your answer:
Grad Zagreb službene stranice – Partnerstvo za otvorenu vlas
Grad Zagreb službene stranice – Otvoreni podaci
Zagreb OGP Action Plan 2024-2025
Provide references here (e.g. interviews):
- Records of invitations, e-mails exchanged with stakeholders, lists of participants, photographs from offline events
- 10 stakeholder interviews conducted from 21 Feb. – 12 Mar. 2025:
- 4 representatives of the City of Zagreb: Maja Šajnović (28 Feb. 2025), Marijana Tovernić (28 Feb. 2025, Hrvoje Kalčiček (4 Mar. 2025), and Aleksandra Grubić Jureško (5 Mar. 2025)
- 6 representatives of non-government stakeholders: Mihaela Bronić (Institute of Public Finance, 21 Feb. 2025), Oriana Ivković Novokmet (GONG, 27 Feb. 2025), Marijana Sumpor (Croatian Network of Evaluators, 27 Feb. 2025), Andrei Zvonimir Crnković (HrOpen, 27 Feb. 2025), Marko Ercegović (Association of Cities, 28 Feb. 2025), and Jadranka Lovrić (Faculty of Electrical Engeneering and Computing, 12 Mar. 2025)
Section 3.
Initial evaluation
of commitments
1. Commitment :
Increasing transparency in service delivery through the publication of an online catalogue
1.1 Is the commitment verifiable?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The commitment is verifiable as it clearly outlines specific activities and measurable deliverables, aiming to centralize information about municipal services, enhance transparency, and streamline service delivery. Milestones include conducting meetings to document services, designing a service catalogue, and publishing it online by March 2025, providing clear outputs and outcomes that can be verified during implementation. It outlines these specific activities to increase transparency in service delivery:
1. Conducting meetings with 16 city administrative bodies to document their services
2. Upgrading the system for documenting, updating and analyzing services
3. Designing a comprehensive service catalogue for the City of Zagreb
4. Conducting 16 qualitative and 16 quantitative analyses of city services
5. Creating and publishing the service catalogue online for public access.
Provide evidence for your answer:
1.2 Does the commitment language/activities clearly justify relevanceAccording to the OGP Articles of Governance, OGP commitments should include a clear open government lens. Specifically, they should advance at least one of the OGP values: transparency, citizen partic... to OGP values?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The commitment clearly justifies its relevance to OGP values, aiming to enhance transparency by creating a centralized online service catalogue, making information more accessible to citizens/businesses. The initiative improves service delivery efficiency and promotes accountability by providing clear access points to city services. It aligns with OGP values in several ways:
- Transparency: creating a comprehensive online catalogue of city services would increase transparency in service delivery, making it easier for citizens to access information on available services
- Technology and innovation for transparency and accountability: use of digital platforms to publish and manage the catalogue leverages technology to enhance transparency and accountability in governance
- Participation: while not explicitly stated, improved service accessibility may indirectly facilitate participation, enabling citizens to engage more effectively, potentially leading to better feedback and engagement.
Provide evidence for your answer:
1.3 Please select one option that best describes the commitment:
a new regulationGovernment reformers are developing regulations that enshrine values of transparency, participation, and accountability in government practices. Technical specifications: Act of creating or reforming ..., policy, practice or requirement.
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
This commitment is a new practice as it introduces a novel initiative to create and publish an online catalogue of city services, which is not an existing practice of the city’s administration. The commitment also aims to enhance transparency and efficiency in service delivery through digital governanceAs evolving technologies present new opportunities for governments and citizens to advance openness and accountability, OGP participating governments are working to create policies that deal with the ... More, which represents a new approach rather than a continuation of existing practices.
These findings were confirmed by interviewed stakeholders, including city authority representatives and civil society stakeholders. According to them, there are currently over 400 various services being provided to citizens and businesses by city administration. Information on some of these services can be found on the existing city website, however, it is dispersed throughout the website, and the quality of available information and user experience varies. The city also aims to improve internal by-processes, thus demanding less input from users, and using internally available data when providing services.
Provide evidence for your answer:
1.4 Please select one option that best describes the commitment:
will result in a change of the rules, practices or policies that govern a policy area, public sector and/or relationship between citizens and is binding or institutionalized across government or specific institution(s).
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
This commitment poses a transformational change of the city’s practices that will probably generate institutionalized changes. It introduces a new initiative to enhance transparency and efficiency in service delivery by creating an online catalogue of city services. It leverages technology to improve access to information, aiming to fundamentally alter existing governance policies. The potential systemic changes in governance practices that could potentially occur are:
- Institutionalized change: a revision of existing policies to enhance transparency or public participationGiving citizens opportunities to provide input into government decision-making leads to more effective governance, improved public service delivery, and more equitable outcomes. Technical specificatio...
- Binding nature: ensuring all city administrative bodies adhere to the new practice, wherein they agree to follow newly instated procedures
- Sustainability: the changes endure beyond the initial implementation phase, integrating into existing governance structures to ensure long-term viability.
These findings were confirmed by interviewed city authority representatives and civil society stakeholders.
Provide evidence for your answer:
1.5 Are there any recommended changes to the design of the commitment to help improve its implementation?
To improve the implementation of this commitment, several design changes could be considered:
- Stakeholder engagement: to enhance participation, the city could involve a broader range of stakeholders, including citizens and businesses, in the design and testing phases to ensure the catalogue meets diverse needs
- Feedback mechanism: by incorporating a feedback system/mechanism within the catalogue, its users would be allowed to report inaccuracies or suggest improvements, ensuring continuous refinement
- Integration with existing platforms: ensure a seamless integration with other digital platforms used by the city to avoid duplication of efforts and enhance user experience.
Foreseeable challenges include potential resistance to change from administrative bodies and technical issues during the integration process. Addressing these challenges proactively through training and technical support can mitigate risks and ensure successful implementation.
2. Commitment :
Implementation of an E-Service for Participatory Budgeting
2.1 Is the commitment verifiable?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The commitment language outlines specific activities and measurable deliverables, aiming to provide citizens with a direct role in budgetary decisions, thereby enhancing democratic participation and transparency in allocating public funds. Commitment milestones provide clear outputs and outcomes that can be verified during implementation, aligning with the objective of enhancing public participation in budgeting processes.
The city plans to implement the following specific activities:
1. Developing an electronic service platform allowing citizens to participate directly in the municipal budgeting process by proposing and voting on budget priorities
2. Conducting public consultations to ensure the platform meets community needs and priorities
3. Conducting pilot tests of the e-service to ensure its functionality and effectiveness before full-scale implementation
4. Launch and integration of the e-service into existing budgeting process to enhance transparency and citizen engagement.
Provide evidence for your answer:
2.2 Does the commitment language/activities clearly justify relevance to OGP values?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
This commitment clearly justifies its relevance to OGP values, particularly participation and transparency. It strengthens democratic governance by integrating transparency, participation and accountability into the budgeting process, by directly involving citizens in proposing and voting on budget priorities to reflect community needs and priorities. It aligns with OGP values by promoting:
- Transparency: providing citizens with clear information about budget priorities and how funds are allocated, ensuring budget decisions are understandable and accessible to the public
- Participation: allowing citizens to propose and vote on budget priorities, significantly enhances participation in the budgeting process, empowering citizens to influence public spending decisions, fostering a more inclusive and responsive governance model
- Accountability: ensuring budget allocations are based on citizen input and priorities, holding government officials accountable for how public funds are used.
Provide evidence for your answer:
2.3 Please select one option that best describes the commitment:
a new regulation, policy, practice or requirement.
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
This commitment involves developing and launching a new electronic service platform for participatory budgeting, which represents a novel approach to citizen engagement in budgeting processes in Zagreb. The commitment aims to institutionalize participatory budgeting through a comprehensive e-service, marking a significant departure from existing practices where citizens had limited direct influence on budget decisions.
These findings were confirmed by interviewed stakeholders, including city authority representatives and civil society stakeholders. According to them, the commitment is a new approach that uses technology to achieve citizen engagement and participation in the budgetary process. It is also an important tool in upholding transparency in governance and building trust between local government and the citizens.
Provide evidence for your answer:
2.4 Please select one option that best describes the commitment:
is a positive change to a process, practice or policy but will not generate a binding or institutionalized change across government or specific institution(s).
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
As written, this commitment introduces a new e-service for participatory budgeting, which represents a positive change by enhancing citizen engagement and transparency in budgeting processes. However, it does not fundamentally alter the underlying governance structures or policies across the local government. The commitment focuses on improving a specific process rather than instituting systemic changes that would be binding across all city districts.
For the commitment to result in a lasting change in practice, making it accessible to all, the participatory budgeting process should be institutionalized (fully integrated) in the budgeting process and binding for all city districts. According to stakeholders interviewed, that is indeed the long-term goal. They also remarked that such an e-service can prove useful in various decision-making processes, aside from the budgeting process, where direct citizen participationAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, citizen participation occurs when “governments seek to mobilize citizens to engage in public debate, provide input, and make contributions that lead to m... More could transform governance practices across the city.
Provide evidence for your answer:
2.5 Are there any recommended changes to the design of the commitment to help improve its implementation?
To improve the implementation of this commitment, several design changes could be considered:
- Implement inclusive, targeted outreach strategies to engage marginalized groups, ensuring equitable participation through accessible materials and accessible platforms (e.g. for persons with disabilities)
- Clear and timely communication/promotion: simplify and clearly communicate the participatory budgeting process to avoid confusion and enhance participation, increasing public outreach
- Realistic timelines: establish realistic timelines for the implementation process, allowing sufficient time for outreach, educationAccountability within the public education system is key to improving outcomes and attainment, and accountability is nearly impossible without transparent policies and opportunities for participation ..., and proposal development.
Foreseeable challenges include potential resistance from existing municipal power structures, limited digital access for some citizens, and maintaining sustained engagement over time. Addressing these challenges proactively through inclusive strategies and partnerships can mitigate risks and ensure successful implementation.
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