Participatory Budgeting - Instrument for Increasing Efficiency of Local Public Administration

Change in public administration is necessary and continuous, as the needs of the collectivity change. In this context, transforming traditional administration, characterized by conformity and hierarchical control is not only necessary but inevitable. The Administration needs to be supple, responsible, transparent in everything they do, to be efficient and performant. In order to reach this level, there have to exist tools for citizen accountability (Participatory budgeting), as well as dialogue between all parties involved. The paper also showcases the features of the new public management and shows Participatory budgeting as an instrument by which the local public administration may get closer to citizens and meet the challenges they face, exemplifying the implementation of this type of budget at the level of the city of Cluj-Napoca.