Participation Effectiveness of Citizen Participatory Budgeting: The Case of Yanjin County in China

Abstract

Citizen participatory budgeting (CPB) is a mechanism to enhance governance, particularly regarding accountability and responsiveness. The growing literature on the topic, however, has not addressed the participation effectiveness of CPB in developing countries. Drawing mainly from first-hand data, this study examines the participation effectiveness of the recent CPB reform in Yanjin, a poor county in southwestern China. It is found that with a well-designed participatory mechanism, citizen representatives of the Yanjin County have effectively participated in public budgeting. This study, therefore, has important implications for other localities in China as well as other developing countries that are interested in using CPB to improve local governance.