近年来,随着国家能力的增强,国家在乡村设置了多重治理目标,由此型构出基层的多中心工作格局。面对多中心工作压力,工作指标全面量化不仅是上级考核下级的重要制度工具,而且已经越来越成为乡镇政府实现乡镇内部工作人员高强度动员的重要手段。工作指标的全面量化主要表现为完成结果可量化工作指标的结果量化和过程量化,以及完成结果不可量化工作指标的过程量化。乡镇借助量化工作指标所内含的工作任务的可计算性、可分解性以及可比较性,充分启动责任到人、结账督办以及面子激励等机制来实现对乡镇工作人员的高强度动员,提升工作任务的执行效率。然而,此种依靠工作任务指标量化的动员方式同样引发了乡镇的过度动员与超负荷运转,以及形式主义滋生和基层政权悬浮等困境。要破解这一困境,需要改变基层政府的多中心工作格局,保持基层治理的简约状态,减轻基层负担,同时赋予基层政府一定的自主治理空间,增强基层政府的社会回应性。

Grassroots governance in China is undergoing a period of drastic transformation, with the state shifting from passive intervention to active governance in rural areas, and the state is shifting from selective control over rural society to comprehensive governance. In this situation, the government has set multiple governance goals in rural areas, forming a multi-center work pattern at the grassroots. The multi-center work task places higher demands on the governance ability, especially the self-mobilization ability of grassroots governments. However, existing research on government mobilization systems and mechanisms is mainly applicable to normalized governance situations, such as single-center work tasks or limited-center work tasks, lacking necessary attention to township mobilization mechanisms in multi-center work task situations.
This article adopts a case study method, taking W Town in the central region as a typical case, focusing on exploring the internal mobilization and operational logic of resource-scarce townships widely existing in the central and western regions. In particular, it presents the practical mechanism of quantifying work task indicators as a way for township governments to mobilize township workers, in addition to serving as a system instrument for superiors to assess subordinates, enriching and promoting research on township governance.
This article finds that faced with the pressure of multi-center work, quantifying work indicators comprehensively is not only an important institutional instrument for superiors to assess subordinates but also an increasingly important means for township governments to achieve high-intensity mobilization of internal staff in townships. The comprehensive quantification of work indicators mainly manifests in the simultaneous quantification of results and processes for work indicators with quantifiable completion results, as well as the quantification of processes for work indicators with non-quantifiable completion results. Leveraging the computability, decomposability, and comparability of work tasks contained in quantitative work indicators, townships can fully activate mechanisms such as accountability, accounting supervision, and face-saving incentives to achieve high-intensity mobilization of township cadres and improve the efficiency of task execution. However, this mobilization method that relies on quantifying work task indicators brings difficulties such as excessive mobilization and operation of townships, and the breeding of formalism and suspension of grassroots political power. To solve this dilemma, it is necessary to change the multi-center work pattern of grassroots governments, maintain a simple state of grassroots governance, reduce the burden on grassroots governments, and give them a certain degree of autonomous governance space to enhance their social responsiveness.
This article contributes to existing literature in two aspects. First, it expands the governance context embedded in government mobilization, especially township government mobilization, by achieving a transition from single-center or limited-center work task scenarios to multi-center work task scenarios, taking into account the practical changes in China's rural governance context; Second, it deepens the understanding of the concept of “quantification of work indicators”, which means that “quantification of work indicators” is not only an institutional instrument for the superior government to assess and manage township governments but also an important way for township governments to mobilize township workers in all aspects when facing multi-task pressures. This article focuses on understanding the significance of quantifying work indicators in promoting township governance work from the perspective of mobilization.
This article reveals the logical manifestation of quantified work indicators as a mobilization method in township governance in the context of multi-center work tasks. It analyzes the potential governance risks of this mobilization method that heavily relies on quantified work indicators and proposes solutions, which will help national and local governments achieve the goal of modernizing rural governance.