Artykuł jest analizą roli budżetu partycypacyjnego w procesie partycypacji społecznej. Przedstawione trzy modele jego funkcjonowania prezentują różny ich wpływ na jakość kapitału społecznego, czyli cechy społeczeństwa objawiające się wysokim poziomem zaufania, współpracy oraz więzi społecznych między obywatelami. W celu przeprowadzenia analizy zostanie zastosowana koncepcja kapitału społecznego i wspólnot obywatelskich Roberta Putnama.

The study is devoted to the presentation of the functioning of the civic budget in Elbląg from the normative and practical perspective. The authors focus on selected legal and political science issues, i.e. the initiative to submit proposals of tasks to be financed from the civic budget, the territorial and subjective scope of submitted projects and selected aspects of how this form of public consultations works in practice. The results of the research lead to the conclusion that, despite the fact that eight editions of the civic budget have already been carried out, the city has not developed an ideal model of its functioning. The biggest problems seem to be manifested in the legislative inconsistency and the weakening interest of residents.

The right to petition as an instrument for the development of the Senate’s legislative activity

This article presents the issue of the right to petition as a social tool influencing legislative proceedings in the Senate. The considerations begin with an analysis of the legal norms regulating the institution in the presented scope. Some suggestions for changes have also been made with the aim of improving the quality of the petition process. Practice shows that this instrument of social participation is an important source of inspiration for the creation of the Senate’s legislative initiative, but it could be used even more effectively. In the context of the principle of national sovereignty, the principle of a democratic state ruled by law and social dialogue, it is extremely important to give the institution of petition a substantial shape and ensure it has a real influence on the legislative process.

This article synthetically describes the functioning of participatory budgeting in Madrid. It points out both the origins of this tool of semi-direct democracy and its current form. It addresses normative, systemic, and social issues. The text also contains an evaluation of the solutions adopted in the Spanish capital.

The ‘Bottom-up’ Process – The Idea of Planning Development and Space Design Based on a Social Participation

Bottom-up is an idea of inclusion of city inhabitants into planning and projecting processes. The basis of this approach is a real participation, engagement, cooperation and common decision-making by various actors of projecting process. A key role in the process is played by a local society perceived as a subject and the most important recipient of the outcome. The bottom-up process is based on the professional facilitation of content based on recognized legal and ethical assumptions. The main aim of the article is to present ideas and the most important assumptions of the bottom-up process in the context of socializing the planning and development processes. The article consists an analysis of the roles of particular participants of the press. Also, it includes a presentation of Dutch experiences in co-realizing planning processes with inhabitants. The article was created as a result of the author’s experiences gained through the participation in the project entitled “PWP – nowatorskie narzędzie kształtowania przestrzeni publicznej”.

The last decades have been a time of dynamic changes in the scope of public management tools, as well as a gradual increase in the participation of citizens at every stage of public decision-making. That is why application of ICT tools in practice of public policy implementation is currently a popular direction of public administration development. The aim of the article is to analyse how this postulate is implemented on the example of Polish participatory budgets. On the basis of quantitative research the authors have analysed participatory budgets that function in towns with powiat rights. In the conclusions it is stated that ICT are applied only partially within the public policy environment and are used to popularise participatory budgets and to facilitate the process of voting for the submitted propositions.

Intergenerational solidarity: anachronism or a chance for modern dimension of sustainable social responsibility?

This work is an attempt to answer the question whether in times of crises, digitalisation and the mediatization of social bonds the idea of intergenerational solidarity is still valid. The authoress provocatively questions the thoughts on social responsibility for the fate of the next generation. At the same time she wonders what the modern face of family interpersonal relationships in society is; sees a change, opportunities and threats. Reveals the best practices, based on which young people can promote intergenerational solidarity at local and regional levels and presents her point of view in terms of promoting effective solutions to exploit the potential of older people.