Date of Award

Winter 1-21-2026

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Political Science

First Advisor

Eric Hansen

Second Advisor

Olga Avdeyeva

Abstract

The dissatisfaction with democratic processes and the low participation rates we see trending in cities around the world, have inspired practitioners to experiment with new democratic practices. Scholars of participatory democracy have argued that when people participate in one democratic activity, they are more likely to engage in other activities. Therefore, this project clarifies the expectations set for a specific type of process, called Participatory Budgeting (PB). The two questions I address in this project look at the relationship between PB and voter turnout in local elections, and PB and incumbency retention rates for those who implement the process in Chicago, New York City, and Montreal. To study these relationships, I use a mixed-methods approach by quantitatively assessing the general trends and following up with a qualitative chapter to deepen our understanding of the mechanisms at play. The first two quantitative chapters employ two-way fixed effects models, using novel data on PB processes in the three cities and local electoral data between 2000 and 2023. I find that there PB or participation within PB shows no impact on voter turnout rates in local elections, nor on the incumbents’ success rate. The final empirical chapter explores why there is no significant relationship between the main variables of interest, and I find that working to attract new participants and increasing the rate at which they participate could be one of the key factors for practitioners aiming to create participatory effects.

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