From Formalism Rectification to Governance Modernization: The Chinese Logic and Practical Enlightenment of Grassroots Burden Reduction

Abstract

As the “nerve endings” of national governance, grassroots governance efficiency is directly related to the implementation of national policies and the improvement of people’s well-being. Around 2012, grassroots areas in China generally faced prominent problems such as rampant formalism, imbalance between power and responsibility, and excessive tasks, which seriously restricted governance vitality and service quality. Focusing on the institutional practice of grassroots burden reduction, this paper conducts an analysis from five dimensions: realistic origin, institutional construction, practical forms, governance effectiveness, and optimization paths. By combing the evolutionary process of grassroots burden reduction from policy advocacy to institutional standardization, and combining typical cases from the eastern, central and western regions, this paper reveals the practical value of grassroots burden reduction in addressing formalism, clarifying the boundary between power and responsibility, and empowering grassroots governance. It also analyzes the existing challenges such as policy non-implementation and rebound risks, providing theoretical reference and practical enlightenment for continuously deepening grassroots burden reduction and improving governance efficiency.