A decade ago, when many European countries were only commencing with participatory budgeting (PB), research literature remained fragmented and rather scarce. The book International Trends in Participatory Budgeting: Between Trivial Pursuits and Best Practices provides a unique report on the state of PB in Europe. In particular, it has a focus on Central Eastern European (CEE) cases in a comparative perspective. The book unveils to the reader the beginnings and first steps of PB implementation,

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... nd it opens a discussion on its development and durability. In the first chapter of the book, the authors emphasize the specific nature of the spread of PB. "When the innovative practice spread [...] something strange happened. The main intended effects and the unintended sideeffects of PB changed places. The main effects became secondary, and the unintended side-effects became major goals of PB" (p. 16). The book then in-depth details the practices and expected and unexpected results of PB implementation. The reader is invited to set out on a discovery through thirteen countries: