Cadres have a list of what they should do and what they can do to perform their duties in a more standardized manner

Early in the morning, Ma Simin, the head of Miaotai Township in Shizuishan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, arrived at the Party Members’ Entrepreneurship Demonstration Base in Ligang Village to discuss the sales of seasonal vegetables with the staff. This was his seventh village visit this month.

“Engaging with villagers used to be a challenge due to time constraints. However, this year, the city introduced a checklist for township responsibilities, which provides us with a clear understanding of our roles. This has allowed us to devote more energy to supporting both businesses and the community,” Ma explained.

For a long time, grassroots officials faced significant challenges due to unclear responsibilities, inconsistent authority, and mismatched duties. In response, the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council issued new regulations aimed at alleviating bureaucratic burdens on grassroots entities. These regulations require local governments to establish and refine a checklist of responsibilities for townships and streets, enabling better alignment of duties and powers.

By concentrating on specific tasks, local governments can clarify responsibilities and alleviate staff burdens, which ultimately enhances the efficiency of local governance.

Around 11 a.m., Zhang Jian, the Party Secretary of Dongyonggu Village, visited a local senior dining facility to inspect sanitation and food preparations. Once everything was ready, the seniors began arriving for their meal.

“We serve three dishes, soup, and noodles, all at a very reasonable price,” said villager Liu Guangren, smiling. “It’s clean, convenient, and delicious. We’re grateful to our village officials for their diligent management.”

The success of this senior dining service can be traced back to the implementation of the township responsibility checklist in Shizuishan, which has clarified tasks and reduced burdens on local officials, allowing them to prioritize urgent community needs.

In alignment with the new regulations, Shizuishan has developed a checklist that details the responsibilities of townships and streets according to national laws, party guidelines, and central government directives. Essential tasks that must be fully executed by townships are clearly categorized, while those requiring support from higher authorities are noted separately. Tasks that are less relevant to township work or that involve specialized knowledge have been omitted from grassroots responsibilities, streamlining the overall workload.

Establishing clear legal guidelines has been a fundamental principle in creating this checklist. Qi Dunzhi, Deputy Minister of the Organization Department of Shizuishan, remarked, “In our thorough review, we noticed that some departments were imposing additional obligations on grassroots officials through various documents. We rigorously analyzed each task to clarify responsibility boundaries. This way, every level of government understands its duties, reducing overlaps and ensuring accountability.”

Since the beginning of the year, various regions have upheld the principle of legal clarity to streamline and clarify grassroots responsibilities. For instance, Kaiping City in Guangdong Province has created a guide that outlines the responsibilities of village committees, which includes lists for self-governing duties, tasks supporting government work, and a list of responsibilities to be eliminated or prohibited.

“By clearly delineating responsibilities based on legal guidelines, we can modernize and enhance grassroots governance frameworks,” observed Professor Song Shiming from the Central Party School.

Aligning responsibilities with capabilities is essential for effective grassroots governance. Yuchunmei, a resident of Newde Village in Nanning, Guangxi, shared her experience: “Getting approval for my rural house used to be a hassle; now I just submit my documents at the township service center. It’s so convenient!”

To boost the efficiency of grassroots governance, many regions, including Jiangnan District, have started delegating various approval tasks to townships, making services like social insurance and medical benefits far more accessible.

The central government has reiterated the importance of balancing burden reduction with empowering grassroots entities, asserting that “while responsibilities must be clarified, local authorities need the proper authority and resources to effectively perform their roles.”

“By implementing this checklist, we ensure tasks are streamlined, leading to greater community satisfaction and a more motivated workforce,” stated Liu Rongwen, director of the Comprehensive Rural Construction Guarantee Center in Suwei Town.

In a notable case from Yanzidun Township, local enforcement director Lai Hao responded promptly to a complaint about construction debris obstructing travel and creating environmental concerns. Thanks to the new system, the township was able to collaborate with higher-level departments to resolve the issue efficiently.

“We previously lacked the authority and resources to address such problems, but now we can report and work together effectively,” Lai explained.

To maintain accountability and stability within the grassroots responsibility checklist, local governments must establish sensible access protocols to prevent the misuse of governance.

For instance, in Quzhou, Zhejiang Province, a digital application has been developed to manage requests for new tasks efficiently, significantly reducing the number of direct assignments sent to grassroots officials.

Officials like Cheng Manzhen from the Hehua Street community have noticed a considerable relief from workload due to this “firewall” against excessive task delegation.

The sense of overload among grassroots officials has often stemmed from arbitrary task assignments at various levels. Staff members have reported that responsibilities often accumulate, ranging from demographic monitoring to agricultural insurance, creating chaotic workloads.

Various regions are focusing on refining their access mechanisms to ensure that only necessary tasks reach grassroots levels. For instance, Chenzhou City in Hunan Province has categorized tasks into “eliminate, streamline, retain” lists to better manage workloads and eliminate responsibilities that should not fall to grassroots organizations.

“Clarifying grassroots tasks and empowering local governance is a systemic effort that requires careful management of responsibility transfers,” Professor Song emphasized. “Decisions made at higher levels must be closely managed to avoid overburdening or misallocating tasks.”