Paper/Speech Details of Conference Program for the 29th NISPAcee Annual Conference Program Overview WG1/WG5 Joint Session (Physical) Author(s) Katarzyna Radzik-Maruszak Maria Curie-Sklodowska University Lublin Poland Pauliina Lehtonen, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland Title Inclusion as ownership in local participatory budgeting: PB facilitators’ interpretations on the agency of children and young people File Paper files are available only for conference participants, please login first. Presenter Katarzyna Radzik-Maruszak Abstract This article draws from two cases of children and youth participatory budgeting (PB) in Poland and Finland to explore whether it can be considered an inclusive practice for involving youngsters in local governance. Scrutinizing interpretations of different facilitators involved in the creation of PB processes, we analyze the motivation for incorporating children and youth into local governing process, how the engagement of children and youth in PB procedure was organized and conducted, and the outcomes from the perspective of inclusive engagement. We suggest ownership as a central element of inclusion when children and young people are invited to participate in public matters and distinguish four analytical dimensions of ownership: ownership of (1) process, (2) issue, (3) action produced, and (4) decision-making. Additionally, we argue that from the point of view of PB facilitators, encouraging the ownership of children and young people to PB involves four functions: (1) carrying out a legally mandated task, (2) identifying topical problems, (3) developing tools of support, and (4) constructing a motivational link between school and society. In conclusion, we highlight that ownership can potentially contribute to the challenges of engagement experienced in PB initiatives.
