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The World Bank has been collaborating with finance, budget, and public accounts committees in the Western Balkans as part of a knowledge partnership focusing on strengthening financial oversight practices. Despite some gains in external auditing performance, the region continues to underperform when it comes to legislative scrutiny of audit reports. Therefore, the knowledge partnership includes a focus on how finance, budget, and public accounts committees discharge their responsibilities to scrutinize government performance using the audit reports produced by Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) in the region. The network of the SAIs of European Union (EU) candidate countries and potential candidates and the European court of auditors has identified the working relationship between SAIs and parliaments as a critical component for effective external audit. This discussion note is intended as a primer for dialogue between parliaments, SAIs, and practitioners on how to better define and strengthen the relationship between the external audit and legislative scrutiny stakeholders. It outlines the context and challenges, and also frames some questions that can help stakeholders reflect on the existing and aspirational nature of the relationship. The discussion note proceeds in five parts. First, the context for the discussion is outlined. Second, the accountability relationship between SAIs and parliaments is explored. Third, the main challenges for effective external audit and financial oversight is reviewed. Fourth, global and regional external audit benchmarks will be detailed. Finally, the challenges for the Parliament-SAI relationship in the Western Balkans will be examined and discussion questions framed around three areas of mutual interest for SAIs and parliaments - SAI independence; examination of the audit reports by the parliament; and follow-up on recommendations based on the audit reports.

Democratic Government --- Governance --- National Governance --- Parliamentary Government --- Public Sector Development

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Cabinet system --- Cabinet system. --- Cabinet government --- Parliamentary government --- Political science --- Representative government and representation --- Gouvernement (science politique)

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This volume explores the politics of minority government. Approximately one-third of parliamentary democracies are or are typically ruled by a minority government-a situation where the party or parties represented at cabinet do not between them hold a majority of seats in the national legislature. Minority governments are particularly interesting in parliamentary systems, where the government is politically responsible to parliament, can be removed by it, and needs (majority) support in the parliament to legislate. The volume analyzes the formation, functioning, and performance of minority governments, what we term the why, how, and how well of minority governments. Beginning with an overview of the concept of and puzzles surrounding minority governments in parliamentary systems, establishing the current terms of the debate, the volume presents thirteen in-depth case studies by leading country experts that provide rich, contextualized analyses of minority governments in different settings-covering Australia, Canada, France, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The concluding chapter draws broader, comparative-based conclusions from the country studies that pushes the literature forward and, we hope, sets a path for subsequent research on minority governments.

Cabinet system --- Coalition governments --- Comparative government --- Coalitions --- Cabinet government --- Parliamentary government --- Political science --- Representative government and representation --- Minorities --- Political activity

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Stakeholder dialogue, as an alternative institutional strategy for environmentally and socially sustainable development, has received little attention from researchers and practitioners in developing countries such as China, even though the dialogue strategy can potentially lead public governance to a more efficient level. This paper first discusses the potential of stakeholder dialogue as an institutional tool for promoting sustainable development in China, and then presents a pilot program of stakeholder dialogue recently developed in China-the community environmental roundtables. Community leaders organize roundtable dialogues where representatives from government agencies, companies and the local residents exchange their views toward certain environmental issues they are facing and discuss possible ways to resolve the issues. Informal agreements are reached during the dialogues and implemented after them. This community roundtable dialogue strategy has been piloted in dozens of Chinese municipalities, addressing various environmental issues. A survey of dialogue participants shows that significant impacts have been generated on environmental protection, community management, as well as social and institutional development at the community level. Mutual understanding and trust among the government, companies, and local citizens are enhanced, environmental and social conflicts are reduced, and the public performance of various parties has been improved. This approach is expected to help solve other conflicts and public governance issues in China as well. The potential challenges of institutionalizing such a program in China are also discussed in the paper.

Civil Society --- Energy --- Environment --- Environmental Economics & Policies --- Environmental Protection --- Governance Indicators --- National Governance --- Parliamentary Government --- Social Conflict --- Stakeholder Dialogue --- China

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Stakeholder dialogue, as an alternative institutional strategy for environmentally and socially sustainable development, has received little attention from researchers and practitioners in developing countries such as China, even though the dialogue strategy can potentially lead public governance to a more efficient level. This paper first discusses the potential of stakeholder dialogue as an institutional tool for promoting sustainable development in China, and then presents a pilot program of stakeholder dialogue recently developed in China-the community environmental roundtables. Community leaders organize roundtable dialogues where representatives from government agencies, companies and the local residents exchange their views toward certain environmental issues they are facing and discuss possible ways to resolve the issues. Informal agreements are reached during the dialogues and implemented after them. This community roundtable dialogue strategy has been piloted in dozens of Chinese municipalities, addressing various environmental issues. A survey of dialogue participants shows that significant impacts have been generated on environmental protection, community management, as well as social and institutional development at the community level. Mutual understanding and trust among the government, companies, and local citizens are enhanced, environmental and social conflicts are reduced, and the public performance of various parties has been improved. This approach is expected to help solve other conflicts and public governance issues in China as well. The potential challenges of institutionalizing such a program in China are also discussed in the paper.

Civil Society --- Energy --- Environment --- Environmental Economics & Policies --- Environmental Protection --- Governance Indicators --- National Governance --- Parliamentary Government --- Social Conflict --- Stakeholder Dialogue --- China