What if you could decide how, what, when and where your city spent its money? Often politicians believe that ordinary citizens are incapable of such tasks. Yet, Lyn Carson and David M Pritchard say those likely to be most affected by a tough budget should be involved in setting it. The authors explain that full participatory budgeting should be part of the democratic processes. They point to examples from around the world – and from ancient Greece – to make their case.