Watching participatory budgeting events or attending them produce different distributive outcomes

PurposeThe study examines the impact of presence, synchronicity of exposure and other variables on allocative decisions reached following a participatory budgeting event.Design/methodology/approachThe study analyzes the distributive decisions reached following a participatory budgeting event, which took place in an academic institution, and students were asked to determine the distribution of a portion of the student union budget. Some students viewed the event live (physically or remotely), while others watched it in delay.FindingsThe main variable affecting allocative decisions was whether decision-makers were exposed to the event physically or remotely. There was a significant and large difference between allocation decisions of participants who were physically present at the event and those who were exposed to it remotely.Practical implicationsThe discussion elaborates on the implications of the findings for the importance of presence and media selection in public engagement events.Originality/valuePublic engagement events are becoming widespread, with the Internet being a major tool in their administration. This study demonstrates that using the Internet to make such events accessible to the non-physically present can create significant changes in decisions reached by participants.