Participatory Budgeting: Fairness and Welfare Maximization

Abstract

Participatory Budgeting (PB) is a democratic paradigm used to allocate a divisible resource (budget) to multiple alternatives (projects). PB is broadly classified into indivisible PB and divisible PB. In indivisible PB, each project is atomic and has a cost. A project must receive an amount equal to its cost or none at all. In divisible PB, projects are fractionally implementable and any amount can be allocated to a project. Our work looks at both these models and studies PB rules that guarantee fairness or maximize the welfare of the voters in different frameworks.