Central Government Documents on Property: Demolition, Relocation, and Compensation (I)
The first of three issues on demolition, relocation, and compensation in China provides a glimpse into the recent past by including the key regulation governing that area, implemented in 2001, and recently repealed. Other government issuances translated in this issue involve more detailed provisions on surveying and appraising properties as well as other guidelines for those performing such work. The first public draft of the new regulation on expropriation and compensation attempts to rectify shortcomings of the 2001 regulation by setting forth "public interest" requirements for expropriating property, and by requiring agencies performing expropriation duties to provide compensation prior to commencing the demolition process. An emergency notice promulgated after the issuance of the first draft but prior to the final, implemented new expropriation regulation, underscores concerns at the State Council level that agencies at lower levels, particularly at the municipal level and below, are at least acquiescing, if not willfully participating in wrongful expropriation and demolition practices in the rush to procure land for initial development or redevelopment. The next two issues will include the new expropriation regulation, as implemented, as well as province-level regulations and issuances, and judicial opinions in demolition and compensation cases.
Nail-Houses, Land Rights, and Frames of Injustice on China's Protest Landscape
This article highlights the way in which Chinese protestors resisting home eviction and demolition have begun to develop innovative, media-savvy tactics for winning public sympathy for their causes and framing their plights as unjust, and considers the political implications of this trend.
Fiscal Transparency in EU Accession Countries Progress and Future Challenges
This paper discusses the findings of fiscal transparency reports on standards and codes (ROSCs) for most EU accession candidate countries. Emphasis is given to the need to establish effective and accountable medium-term budget frameworks to establish policy credibility and anchor adjustment programs to meet EU fiscal goals. Adoption of budgeting and accounting standards consistent with the IMF Government Finance Statistics Manual 2001 framework will also help link budget decisions to EU standards of fiscal reporting. More consistent and comprehensive coverage of off-budget activities is needed for assessing fiscal risk and sustainability. Finally, local government issues need to be addressed by many of these countries since EU fiscal goals are set with reference to general government. Progress in all of these areas can be monitored by keeping fiscal ROSC assessments up to date.