Government Accountability Scheme

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Henry_Chinaski
Board Lord

Joined: Aug 16, 2003
Posts: 5025

Posted: Sep 07, 2004 - 09:57 AM
Post subject: Government Accountability Scheme

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China: Government Plans Official Accountability Scheme for Investment Decisions Made in Office

A Chinese state media report suggests that the central government is considering new State Development and Reform Commission (SDRC) regulations that would hold officials accountable for the investment decisions they made in office. The Cai Jing Shi Bao newspaper cited an official who reported that one measure under consideration was to subject the decision-making process on government investments to national and local people's congresses, as well as holding public hearings if an investment was expected to have a major impact on livelihood. State Development Research Centre researcher Li Zuojun said oversight of government investment was a core platform in wider investment reform policy, saying, 'The core problem in the entire investment reform issue lies in how to hold governments at all levels accountable for their decisions.' He acknowledged, however, that attributing responsibility for failed projects was all but impossible, given that such decisions were usually made collectively: 'That's the tricky part,' he said. 'It takes more than an accountability scheme to fix all the problems in government investment.'
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Pretty good move. Obviously much more difficult to execute than to legislate BUT undeniably in the right direction.
That's also a very tiny step in the direction of democracy, where more people participate on each decisions.
This is a careful and weighted way of moving forward. The mere acknowledgement of the issue is already a pretty good sign.

Caesara

Post Roaster

Joined: July 31, 2004
Posts: 4572
Location: The Middle Kingdom (Shanghai)
Status: Offline

Posted: Sep 07, 2004 - 11:58 AM

Accountability requires governmental transparency. Otherwise you're only using your meticulously planned, carefully implemented regulations to find scapegoats.

I think it's a hop in the right direction, nevertheless.

Combine it with the regulations to make CEOs/CFOs of SOEs report their personal incomes and justify public investments with the resources that they control, and you have a slightly larger jump. Like they really mean to take public policy in this direction.

(Just noticed: this is my 100th post on shanghaiexpat.com. Lovely.)

Henry_Chinaski
Board Lord

Joined: Aug 16, 2003
Posts: 5025

Posted: Sep 07, 2004 - 12:52 PM

Unfortunately the essence of management is finding scapegoats if you fail and stealing merit of others if you succeed, so, I think they are playing by the book here.

Think it is hard to go from 0% transparency to 100% transparency in less than a couple of decades. People need time to sweep the floor underneath the carpet and to double check their underwears and socks for holes and stains before everybody joins a pajamas party.

But yeah. In the right direction.

Congrats for your 100th post.