China's  recent  development  policies  have  witnessed  a  shift   from   a   growth-oriented   model   to   one   that  incorporates  and  places  increasingly  more  emphasis  on equality, inclusion, and balance as key factors. This shift has  created  new  needs  for  the  government  and  other social  sectors  to  improve  their  understanding  of,  and capacity to excercise good governance.

While    tools    for    assessing    economic    and    social development  have  been  relatively  better  developed  in China,  there  exists  a  significant  gap  in  the  governance aspect.   To   address   this,   the   development   of   an  assessment framework that incorporates key dimensions of  democratic  governance  was  a  key  step.  The  process involved   in   achieving   consensus   on   the   different dimensions   of   what   good   governance   entails   was deemed  to  be  as  important  as  the  agreement  on  the dimensions  of  the  framework.  Consensus  was  reached through  discussions,  debates,  and  interaction  among  a wide  spectrum  of  stakeholders,  which  resulted  in  12 dimensions of good governance.   

The     project     facilitated     and     enhanced     national discussions    and    debates    on    key    components    of governance,  in  the  context  of  China,  with  the  aim  of developing   a   framework   for   assessment.      Through knowledge  sharing  of  best  practices  and  experiences  in governance assessment.

The Role of Research Institutions and Think Tanks in Linking Up Governance Evidence with Policy Making in China	China - Governance Assessments Project Assessment	China Project Fast Facts