參與式預算近年在臺灣各地蓬勃發展，無論中央或地方政府都在嘗試利用參與式預算推動公民參與，讓公民更直接地參與政治決策。許多民間團體或學者都期望藉由這種實踐方式讓臺灣民主持續深化。然而，參與式預算是否能使得公民被重新賦權，而社會資源又能否透過參與式預算達到重分配的可能？在參與式預算研究中這些都是非常重要的提問。民間社會的聲音與需求是多元且常是互相衝突的，參與式預算的設計也不可能完全與行政體制和議會政治脫鉤。本研究將從參與式預算與傳統政治之間的衝突與制衡，檢視參與式預算在臺灣實踐的貢獻與挑戰。
本研究以臺北市參與式預算為研究場域，利用參與觀察、文件資料和訪談分析，藉此瞭解參與式預算在臺北市運作的過程，進一步探討傳統政治對公民參與決策的影響機制。本研究的資料來源包含在臺北市的參與式預算會議中進行約三年的參與觀察，並以會議記錄分析說明臺北市參與式預算的施行概況。本文發現臺北市參與式預算中，里長有明顯的動員參與情況，同時里長的提案比一般民眾的提案成功率還要高。除此之外，更進一步在會議記錄中挑選出一般民眾提案案例深入了解其執行情況，針對提案者、里長和委員會的委員等深入訪談。本文發現：第一，在制度層面，臺北市參與式預算較難讓民意被組織，且提案執行的階段仰賴舊政治的邏輯處理多元民意的互動。第二，政治人物，尤其是里長，一方面掌握行政資源另一方面又有民意代表性質，在參與式預算中有多重角色，成為推動公民賦權的挑戰。第三，討論臺灣公共領域的建立，應更重視地方的社會關係，了解舊政治和新政治互動。除此之外，不只是新制度的引進，還需要進行民眾參與的培力，以及有利公民參與的社會環境。
Participatory budgeting is thriving in Taiwan and has been implemented by both central and local government to promote civic participation for the past three years. Many civic groups expect this institutional practice to deepen democratic consolidation. However, is participatory budgeting an effective approach to civic empowerment and redistribution of social resources? Civil society always has diverse voices and interests. The implantation of participatory budgeting cannot be separated from the existing administrative body and the parliament system. This research explores the practices of participatory budgeting in Taipei City and focuses on its relationship with the existing political system and practice.
The data for the study included participant observation of Taipei City’s participatory budgeting committee from 2015 to 2018, analysis of documents related to the committee’s records, and semi-structured interviews with active participants such as village chiefs, committee members, and people who are involved in the participatory budgeting. This study has three main findings: First, practices of participatory budgeting rely on existing political institutions and cannot be separated from traditional, political, and cultural practice. Laypeople do not have sufficient time and political skill to engage in the whole process. Second, village chiefs play a significant role in the process. Their active participation becomes a challenge in encouraging civic engagement in participatory budgeting. Finally, this study suggests that the Taiwan public sphere should pay attention to local social relationships to understand the interaction between participatory budgeting and traditional politics.
