As Andrews and Shah (2005) point out, budgets and budget processes in
developing countries have typically not been citizen friendly. To make partici-
pation functional, several significant revisions are needed: (a) budget data
must be classified in ways that are meaningful to the citizenry; (b) the budget
needs to be prepared in a way that is accessible to the citizenry; (c) the budget
must clearly communicate the core responsibilities of officials; and (d) the
budget must clearly report crucial features of fiscal operations (outlays, reve-
nues, deficits or surpluses, performance outcomes, and so on).16 Most often,
participatory budgeting has focused on investment spending, first on general
priorities and then on specific projects. The budget process needs to ensure
complete, timely, and easily accessible provision of information relevant to
both intent and execution of service delivery.17 The best presentations include
information about outcomes or results of public programs, along with the
traditional financial information about operations. These information flows
can be more directly meaningful to local citizens than information about
national patterns from the central government—a particular advantage of
providing authority and responsibility to local governments.