The problem of “formalism” (形式主义) in the Chinese bureaucracy is certainly in the mind of Xi Jinping. The July 30, 2024 Politburo meeting, the first meeting after the Third Plenum, discussed anti-formalism as well as the economic challenges, meaning that formalism is perceived to be as pressing an issue as China’s struggling economy. In the meeting, Xi called formalism a “serious disease” that “must be rectified.”

Xi blames local leaders’ “blindly pursuing promotion and lack of responsibility” as the root of formalism. However, interviews with local cadres suggest otherwise.

Documentation and Inspection Procedures

Local governments face numerous inspections from higher governments every year. During these inspections, the inspection teams from higher-level governments review files (台账) documenting each step of policy implementation. Typically, these files include documents, meeting records, and even photographs taken throughout the policy execution process. The goal of these files is to ensure that local governments have carried out their tasks in accordance with laws and regulations. 

These inspections can have a significant impact on cadres. For example, if a township receives a poor grade from an inspection, all cadres within that township might face reduced bonuses. As a result, township leaders prioritize this issue for the following year, often canceling weekends and vacations to ensure that cadres work overtime to improve these areas.

Higher-level governments use inspections to monitor the policy implementation process. Before the introduction of inspections, upper-level governments were primarily concerned with the results delivered by township-level governments; superiors tolerated any methods used as long as the township government could meet the targets and complete the tasks. As a result, township governments often employed blunt methods to achieve these objectives, especially in areas such as land expropriation and demolition. Consequently, local governments frequently infringed upon citizens’ legitimate rights in order to reach their goals. Reflecting on this period, one local cadre described local governments as “nothing really different from gangs and mobs.”

In response, the government aimed to control the policy implementation process and reduce illegal practices. However, upper-level governments cannot monitor every policy implementation in real time. Therefore, the most effective way for them to oversee the process is through post-implementation inspections, assessing whether each step of the policy follows laws and regulations. Similar to how a math teacher requires students to show their work........

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