Decisional Convergence in Reforms? — Evidence from a Comprehensive Study of Performance Budgeting Foundations in the US and China

In line with Pollitt’s call to clarify convergence in public management reforms, this research explores the decisional convergence in the context of performance budgeting reforms. Applying longer, deeper and comparative approaches, this research analyzes decades of experiences and comprehensive performance budgeting written foundations between two countries under the same framework. We found convergence of reform direction and transferability of key dimensions of reform. However, the important decisional divergences lie in evolution paths, reform speeds and the uneven, and sometimes surprisingly differential specifications of measurement, integration, accountability, and culture in performance budgeting foundations between the two countries. Adaptations and aspirations as sources of divergence, theoretical implications of T-form reform, and implications for generally accepted performance principles are explored.