UNDP Oslo Governance Centre

13-15 May 2008: Chinese delegation visits Oslo

A delegation from the China Center for Comparative Politics and Economics (CCCPE) visited the UNDP Oslo Governance Centre in support of the development of a governance assessment framework in china. The study tour was organized as part of a project funded by the UNDP Democratic Governance Thematic Trust Fund.

In order to assess progress in the response to a significant policy shift in China’s development policies towards equity, inclusion and balanced development, there is a need to develop a China-specific governance assessment framework which can in turn inform the development of appropriate governance indicators.

The study tour to Oslo Governance Center introduces international knowledge and best practices to kick-start a country-led governance assessment in China. The project also aims to stimulate a broad-based national discussion on “key components” of good governance in accordance with the realities of political development in China, and to create a community of like-minded national experts on country-led governance assessments.

During their time in Oslo the members of the delegation met with Norwegian researchers and experts that work with statistical research in China or with governance assessments more broadly. The delegation also met with the Norwegian Centre on Human Rights, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation.

The delegation from CCCPE included Professor Yu Keping: Director; Professor He Zengke: Executive Director; Dr. Zhou Hongyun: Deputy Director; Dr. Chen Jiagang: Deputy Director; Dr. Bao Yajun and Dr. Yan Jian.

See the study tour agenda and workshop report

Presentations

• Principal Assessment Criteria and Indicators for Research on Chinese Democracy and Governance
  By Professor Yu Keping
• Public sector reform in a comparative perspective - the challenges of
  reform effects and how to measure them
  By Professor Tom Christensen, Department of Political Science, University of Oslo
• 'Global Indicators for Assessing Governance: Uses and limitations of global governance indicators for national policy-making'
  By Ingvild Oia
• 'What do global indicators on corruption say about China?'
  By Marie Laberge

One pagers

One pagers on various democratic governance assessment frameworks were prepared to facilitate the discussion on the international experience on measuring democratic governance:

• State of Democracy by IDEA
  
• Global Integrity Framework by Global Integrity
  
• Urban Governance Index by UN-HABITAT
  
• Governance diagnostic tools by the World Bank
  
• Everyday Democracy Index by DEMOS
  
• Open Budget Index by the Open Budget Initiative
  

 

For further information please contact:

• Joachim Nahem, Governance Specialist
  joachim.nahem@undp.org