On the Budgetary Supervision of Local People’s Congress in China

BY | 09-19-2014

Social Sciences in China

Vol. 34, No. 1, 2013

 

On the Budgetary Supervision of Local Peoples Congress in China

  (Abstract)

 

Lin Muhua and Ma Jun

 

Strengthening the budgetary supervision of the local Peoples Congress is essential not merely to the deepening of budgetary reform but also to the improvement of the Peoples Congress system and socialist democracy. Budgetary supervision by the Peoples Congress comprises three elements: information, dialogue and enforcement. A national questionnaire survey based on these three elements shows that with the deepening of budgetary reform, the budgetary supervision of the Peoples Congress has undergone a shift from procedural to substantive oversight. Nevertheless, it still faces a number of challenges at local level. In the forthcoming reforms, budgetary supervision by the Peoples Congress should be strengthened to make local governments more accountable to the people.