In the United States, the New Markets Tax Credit is “a non-refundable tax credit intended to encourage private capital investment in eligible, impoverished, low-income communities” (Marples, 2012). Invitations for public participation in policymaking seem to be more widespread than ever, particularly in cities - with traditional town hall meetings but also city' governments’ increasing use of social media and crowdsourcing opportunities, on topics ranging from climate change to urban planning. Such tools for bottom-up engagement may contribute to the emergence of a new participation economy in cities, especially to remedy some sort of democratic deficit in large cities where the distance between policy makers and citizens may erode trust in institutions.