Welcome to the first installment of WORT’s Innovations in Democracy series. Over the next three episodes, we’ll be exploring new ways of using digital technology to expand participatory democracy to a larger population of diverse citizens. Innovations in Democracy is produced by Roslyn Fuller, with assistance from Ahmed Teleb. In this episode, we focus on the idea of participatory budgeting. Our panelists include:
- Jez Hall is a founding director of Shared Future CIC, has worked as a consultant for the World Bank and sits on the advisory board of the North American Participatory Budgeting Project. Jez Hall joins us from Manchester, England.
Jez Hall - Rose Wanjiru is the Executive Director of the Centre for Economic Governance, a lead expert in participating budgeting in Kenya, and has worked for the County Governments Executive and Assembly of State and Public Officials. Rose Wanjiru joins us from Nairobi, Kenya.
Rose Wanjiru - Robert Bjarnason is an experienced serial entrepreneur and a software developer. He has created technology used in award winning mobile games, the first 3D games on mobiles, by leading industry players such as EA, Square Enix, Eidos and Activision. In 2008 Robert co-founded the non-profit Citizens Foundation that specializes in citizen participation and digital democracy. Robert Bjarnason joins us from Selfoss, Iceland.
Robert Bjarnason - Celina Su is the Marilyn J. Gittell Chair in Urban Studies and a Professor of Political Science at the City University of New York. She is the author of Streetwise for Book Smarts: Grassroots Organizing and Education Reform in the Bronx, and is a recipient of the Berlin Prize fellowship. Celina Su joins us from New York.
Celina Su
