This study explores how municipal council members communicate with each other during budget deliberations, and suggests ways in how they ought to communicate more effectively with each other. Guided by Grounded Practical Theory, the researcher has analysed the transcribed talks of the budget deliberations of a rural municipality in the Philippines from 2013 to 2016. Specifically, the researcher delves into three levels of budget deliberation as a communicative practice: (1) problem level or the dilemma that the municipal council members are presented within the conduct of the budget deliberations, (2) technical level or the “discourse moves” or strategies employed by the municipal council members to manage the dilemma and (3) philosophical level, which starts with “situated ideals” or the municipal council members’ belief as to how they “ought” to act in the communicative practice. Through the analysis of transcribed talks and semi-structured interviews, the researcher has identified three problems that municipal council members encounter during budget deliberations: (1) technicalities of the budget process and documents, (2) lack of information and (3) politics. To address these problems, municipal council members employ communicative strategies that could facilitate comprehension and/or consensus, stall, or fast-track the budget deliberation, namely: (1) code switch, (2) referral and deferral, (3) establishment of openness, assertion of competence, and making a plea, (4) clarification and suggestion, (5) repetition, (6) show of empathy for constituents, (7) sarcasm, (8) redirection and restriction, (9) silence and (10) termination. Except for sarcasmand silence, these communicative strategies are also used to achieve the situated ideal of duty-centered budget deliberation that places importance on respect and continuous dialogue. The reconstruction of budget deliberation as a communicative practice shows that despite communicative problems, the municipal council members employ communicative strategies to help them accomplish their duties. The results also allow for the reflection on improvements to the budget deliberations and its implications on governance.

中文翻译：

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作为交流实践的预算审议：以菲律宾农村自治市为例

本研究探讨了市议会成员在预算审议期间如何相互沟通，并提出了他们应该如何更有效地相互沟通的方法。研究人员以扎根实践理论为指导，分析了2013年至2016年菲律宾某农村直辖市预算审议的转录谈话。具体而言，研究人员将预算审议作为一种交际实践进行了三个层次的研究：（1）问题层次或市议会成员在预算审议过程中面临的困境，（2）技术层面或市议会成员为解决困境而采用的“话语行动”或策略，以及（3）哲学层面，这始于“情境理想”或市议会成员对他们“应该”如何在交际实践中采取行动的信念。通过转录谈话和半结构化访谈的分析，研究人员确定了市议会成员在预算审议过程中遇到的三个问题：（1）预算过程和文件的技术性，（2）缺乏信息和（3）政治。为了解决这些问题，市议会成员采用可以促进理解和/或达成共识、拖延或加快预算审议的沟通策略，即：(1) 代码转换，(2) 转介和推迟，(3) 建立开放性、能力主张和恳求，(4) 澄清和建议，(5) 重复，(6) 表现出对三方成员的同情，(7) 讽刺，(8) 重定向和限制，(9) 沉默和 (10) 终止。除了讽刺沉默之外，这些沟通策略也被用来实现以职责为中心的预算审议的情境理想，即重视尊重和持续对话。预算审议作为一种交际实践的重构表明，尽管存在交际问题，市议会成员仍采用交际策略来帮助他们完成职责。结果还允许反思预算审议的改进及其对治理的影响。预算审议作为一种交际实践的重构表明，尽管存在交际问题，市议会成员仍采用交际策略来帮助他们完成职责。结果还允许反思预算审议的改进及其对治理的影响。预算审议作为一种交际实践的重构表明，尽管存在交际问题，市议会成员仍采用交际策略来帮助他们完成职责。结果还允许反思预算审议的改进及其对治理的影响。