This publication is an output of the “Governance for Equitable Development” project jointly organised by the Government of China, the European Commission (EC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The 2007 – 2012 project aimed to contribute to the Government’s efforts to improve governance in China by improving the legislative process, reforming judicial institutions and developing civil society.

This report is one of a series of four that seeks to engage experts, practitioners and policy-makers to critically analyse the successes and lessons learnt from the cooperative efforts made during the project. Review of Efforts to Improve Judicial Efficiency and Costs in China focuses on the judicial reform aspect of the project which was conducted in cooperation with the China Institute of Applied Jurisprudence, of the Supreme People’s Court. The document investigates how the EU-UNDP project promoted policy development in China and assisted China’s legislature to improve judicial efficiency. It also offers some context-specific policy recommendations for continuing China’s judicial reform.