Page 214 - Enabling National Initiatives to Take Democracy Beyond Elections

China Wenling City Deliberative Poll In late 2004, local government officials in Zeguo, Wenling City expressed the need to reduce conflicts of interest and perceptions of corruption in selecting priorities for upcoming budgetary projects. Some of the projects to be considered included new bridges, roads, a new school, and city gardens. In total, the projects were estimated to cost around 136 million yuan (US$17m), but due to a change in government policy, only an estimated 40 million yuan (US$5m) could be spent on urban planning and infrastructure. The government of Zeguo identified deliberative and consultative meetings as a potential channel for citizens and interest groups to express their preferences in prioritising these proposed development projects. A working committee of party officials from both Wenling City and Zeguo district identified and applied a Deliberative Polling as a means of deciding which infrastructure projects could be funded during the upcoming fiscal year. 212 A Project of the UN Democracy Fund (UNDEF)