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Participatory budgeting implementation as institutional work: An Australian case study

Ruichen Ma et al.

Journal of Management Control2025https://doi.org/10.1007/s00187-025-00405-9article
AJG 2ABDC A
Weight
0.50

Abstract

Drawing on the institutional work perspective, we examine participatory budgeting (PB) implementation at Bayswater City Council, Western Australia, focusing on how institutional practices recalibrated the process following an initial failure. We show that the initial failure stemmed from insufficient discursive, material, and relational work, leading to low community engagement and trust deficits. Subsequent recalibration included reframing PB narratives, introducing accessible tools, fostering stakeholder relationships, and enabling alignment of community viewpoints with the council’s strategic goals. This study contributes insights into how intentional institutional practices transform participatory governance systems, offering valuable lessons for implementing inclusive and effective PB processes.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s00187-025-00405-9

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@article{ruichen2025,
  title        = {{Participatory budgeting implementation as institutional work: An Australian case study}},
  author       = {Ruichen Ma et al.},
  journal      = {Journal of Management Control},
  year         = {2025},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s00187-025-00405-9},
}

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Participatory budgeting implementation as institutional work: An Australian case study

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Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.