The fiscal control to the participatory budget of Medellín. An approach from the public administration models

EL CONTROL FISCAL AL PRESUPUESTO PARTICIPATIVO DE MEDELLÍN. UN ABORDAJE DESDE LOS MODELOS DE ADMINISTRACIÓN PÚBLICA

This paper explains how fiscal control operated on the participatory budget operated in Medellín, during the 2014-2018 period, under the vision of public administration models. Punctually, this text investigates the criteria followed by the General Comptroller of Medellín to carry out discretionary fiscal control of projects implemented through the Participatory Budget of Medellín. To achieve the above, a qualitative research was carried out; this research involved the use of different strategies. The findings show that fiscal control, activated by the entities of citizen control and the Medellín Council, demonstrate the coordinated work of different actors. But, on the other hand, the discretionary fiscal control exercised by the Comptroller's Office does not respond to the guidelines of the law, typical of a bureaucratic legalistic model, which makes the selection procedure for such projects arbitrary and diffuse. It is observed that the current institutional design favors this situation.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.21017/Rev.Repub.2022.v32.a122