ASU Scholarship Showcase

Does school participatory budgeting (SPB) increase students’ political efficacy? SPB, which is implemented in thousands of schools around the world, is a democratic process of deliberation and decision-making in which students determine how to spend a portion of the school’s budget. We examined the impact of SPB on political efficacy in one middle school in Arizona. Our participants’ (n = 28) responses on survey items designed to measure self-perceived growth in political efficacy indicated a large effect size (Cohen’s d = 1.46), suggesting that SPB is an effective approach to civic pedagogy, with promising prospects for developing students’ political efficacy.

As advocates, government information librarians speak up for collections and services within an institution, to peers and to administrators. We collaborate on projects that improve access and preservation for these resources. We pursue public policy advocacy that improves access to government information, which can include requests for changes in policy and practice that promote transparency, as well as funding requests that support information dissemination and preservation. We also advocate within professional communities for resources to support our work.