PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING AS A SCHOOL OF CITIZENSHIP: A COMPARISON BETWEEN FACE-TO-FACE AND DIGITAL MODELS

The following article explores participatory budgeting in its educational dimension, and its impact on the formation of active citizenship. It analyses how the methodology used in these processes, whether face-to-face or digital, affects participants' learning. The objective is to identify, analyse and compare the learning derived from participation in two models of participatory budgeting at the municipal level: one basically face-to-face and the other predominantly digital. Twelve interviews were carried out to deepen the learning from participation in both models. The 65 indicators of analysis were divided into knowledge, skills, attitudes and practices. The results reveal that the methodology used in participatory budgeting is crucial to achieve significant learning. The importance of the pedagogical dimension of the process and the promotion of dialogue and debate among participants for the development of social skills and capacities is highlighted. It is observed that the digital model generates less learning, especially those related to social skills and interpersonal relations, due to the preponderance of the voting phase over dialogue and debate. The main conclusions highlight the influence of the methodology on the learning outcomes of participatory budgeting processes.