More than 1 million Ukrainians have used the Public Budget service on the e-DEM platform

28 December 2021

Public Budget is one of the most popular local e-democracy tools in Ukraine on the e-DEM platform. The service allows community residents to offer their local development projects and influence the distribution of a certain share of local budget funds by voting for specific projects.

Impact in Numbers

Over the period of the tool’s operation, the Public Budget service has achieved remarkable results:

200 communities have joined, including large regional centers and villages
8,000 ideas have been submitted by citizens
Almost 7 million votes have been collected
Projects worth UAH 700 million have been successfully implemented
Leading region: Poltavska oblast with almost 1,500 submitted projects

These numbers demonstrate the power of digital tools in enabling citizen participation in local governance and transparent budget allocation.

How Public Budget Works

The Public Budget platform makes civic participation simple and accessible. Only 3 steps are needed to submit a project:

Create an idea — describe your local development project (park renovation, road repair, school equipment, etc.)
Submit a project — provide details, budget estimate, and expected impact for your community
Collect votes — share your project with fellow residents and gather community support

Communities can join by sending a request from local authorities in electronic form and signing a Memorandum of Cooperation with the EGAP program.

Technology Behind the Platform

The Public Budget service was created as part of the Swiss-Ukrainian “E-governance for Accountability and Participation” (EGAP) program, implemented by the Eastern Europe Foundation in partnership with the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, funded by Switzerland.

soft Xpansion developed the platform using its expertise in portal solutions and government digitalisation. The system handles high-load scenarios — processing millions of votes during voting periods while maintaining security and transparency of the process.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is participatory budgeting and how does it work?

Participatory budgeting is a democratic process where community residents propose local development projects and vote on how a share of the municipal budget is spent. The Public Budget platform on e-DEM makes this process fully digital — from idea submission to voting and result publication.

How many communities use the Public Budget service?

Over 200 Ukrainian communities have joined the platform, from large regional centres to small villages. Together, citizens have submitted 8,000 project ideas, collected almost 7 million votes, and successfully implemented projects worth UAH 700 million.

Can soft Xpansion build a similar civic engagement platform for other countries?

Yes. soft Xpansion has deep expertise in portal solutions and government digitalisation, with experience building nationwide platforms for citizen services, electronic petitions, and participatory budgeting. The technology can be adapted for any municipality or government organisation worldwide.