Dai Xiaoming: "Integration of Three Modes of Governance" Enhances the Efficacy of Grassroots Governance
The state is strong only when its grassroots are strong; the realm is at peace only when its grassroots are secure. Grassroots governance is the cornerstone of national governance, and elevating the modernization of grassroots governance is an inherent requirement for advancing the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, General Secretary Xi Jinping has attached great importance to grassroots governance, emphasizing that we "must handle the foundational work of grassroots governance modernization well" and "ensure the success of Party building-led grassroots governance and the construction of grassroots political power." The Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee proposed to "uphold and develop the 'Fengqiao Experience' [1] in the New Era, improve the urban and rural grassroots governance system that combines autonomy, the rule of law, and the rule of virtue under the leadership of Party organizations, and refine the social governance system based on collaboration, participation, and shared benefits." This grassroots governance system combining the "three rules" (autonomy, law, and virtue) is guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. It has been gradually explored and formed through the resolution of practical problems in grassroots governance, possesses distinct Chinese characteristics, and embodies the superiority of the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics. It must be continuously refined as practice evolves.
1. Stimulating Momentum through Autonomy
The key to governing the country and securing the state lies at the grassroots. Grassroots governance concerns the vital interests of the people. The most important tasks of social governance are at the grassroots, and the firmest support for its strength also resides there. The more powerful and effective grassroots social governance is, the more solid and robust the foundation of the entire social governance framework becomes. As a basic political system of our country, the system of grassroots level self-governance by the masses has become the most direct, extensive, and vivid practice of grassroots democracy in contemporary China. It ensures that the roles of self-management, self-service, self-education, and self-supervision by the masses are fully exercised. On the new journey in the New Era, as we advance the modernization of grassroots governance and improve service and governance levels, urban and rural grassroots autonomous organizations such as residents' committees and villagers' committees are the key forces for exerting autonomous efficacy. By extensively listening to public opinion and pooling the wisdom of the people, they ensure that policies meet the needs of the population. By actively guiding residents to participate in community and rural affairs, they enhance the residents' sense of belonging and identity, striving to promote the shift of grassroots governance from "management" to "service."
Autonomy stimulates endogenous kinetic energy. Through institutional design and policy guidance, the Party and the government have continuously consolidated the foundation of grassroots autonomy. They have issued a series of policy norms to achieve the "integration of the three rules" [2] with autonomy at the core, focusing on resolving problems such as the government "taking everything upon itself" in grassroots governance. The power of the masses is infinite. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "The masses contain rich wisdom and infinite creativity. We must organize, mobilize, and unite the broad masses at the grassroots, and fully stimulate their enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity." We must strengthen Party building-led grassroots governance, enhance and innovate social governance, and advance the diversified resolution of grassroots contradictions and disputes in accordance with the law. We must improve grassroots governance efficacy and strive to realize the goal that "minor matters do not leave the village, major matters do not leave the town, and contradictions are not passed upwards" [3]. We should adapt to local conditions by learning and applying the experience of the "Green Rural Revival Program" [4] (Thousand-Village Demonstration and Ten-Thousand-Village Renovation Project), strengthening the autonomous functions of communities and mobilizing the enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity of residents. This will facilitate mutual assistance and synergy in solving neighborhood conflicts, environmental management, and family disputes, forming a positive situation where everyone participates, everyone is responsible, everyone contributes, and everyone shares. Only by fully mobilizing the masses, ensuring broad participation of all members, encouraging neighborly help, and achieving collaborative governance among all parties can grassroots autonomy become more vibrant and resilient.
2. Strengthening the Foundation through the Rule of Law
Grassroots governance concerns the Party's long-term governance and the long-term stability of the state. The rule of law is the fundamental way of governing the country, an important hallmark of social governance modernization, and a foundational guarantee for grassroots governance. As the ancients said, "Law does not descend from heaven, nor does it emerge from the earth; it springs from among men and accords with the hearts of the people" [5]. The rule of law is both a summation of experience and a reflection of objective laws, as well as a social consensus. We must be adept at using rule-of-law thinking to advance social governance and employing rule-of-law methods to solve governance challenges. Law must be implemented across all levels and fields of grassroots governance, allowing the rule of law to play its role in standardizing and guaranteeing grassroots governance.
The rule of law is an important pillar for the national governance system and governance capacity. By improving the socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics centered on the Constitution, we provide a complete and effective supply of legal systems, maintain legal authority, and ensure the comprehensive implementation of national laws at the grassroots. This lays the regulatory foundation for forming a good social order. The government must strictly administer in accordance with the law, and judicial organs must ensure impartial justice. We must strengthen risk monitoring and early warning, as well as the screening of potential social contradictions and hidden dangers, resolving conflicts according to the law. We must smooth and standardize institutional channels for the expression of public demands, coordination of interests, and protection of rights. Legal means should be used to maintain social public order and good customs, ensuring that those who violate morality or the law are punished and pay the price. We must guide citizens to etch the spirit and consciousness of the rule of law into their hearts and reflect it in their daily behavior, firmly establishing legal concepts so they respect, study, observe, and apply the law. Citizens should consciously abide by the law, practice village regulations and community covenants, cultivate rule-of-law thinking, and actively participate in grassroots governance and legal construction to contribute to the building of harmonious villages and livable communities. We should continuously improve the grassroots public legal service system and elevate the level of grassroots governance under the rule of law. We must educate and guide grassroots cadres and the masses to strengthen their legal concepts and improve their ability to work, solve problems, and promote development using rule-of-law thinking and methods—ensuring that they act according to the law, seek out the law when encountering issues, use the law to solve problems, and rely on the law to resolve contradictions, striving to resolve disputes at the grassroots. We should respect the pioneering spirit of the grassroots and the masses, giving full play to the important role of the rule of law in consolidating foundations, stabilizing expectations, and bringing long-term benefits, ensuring that grassroots governance is standardized, fair, inclusive, and flexible. Through the rule of law, we can strengthen the restraint and supervision of the exercise of power, maximize social consensus, and continuously enhance the people's sense of gain, happiness, and security.
3. Cultivating Customs through the Rule of Virtue
A nation cannot prosper without virtue, and a person cannot stand without virtue. The rule of law provides a guarantee for morality, while morality provides support for the rule of law. The rule of law and the rule of virtue are inseparable and neither should be neglected; national governance requires the synergistic efforts of both law and morality. Only when laws are transformed into people's inner self-consciousness can they be better observed. The essence of the rule of virtue lies in guiding people toward goodness, serving as the ethical foundation of grassroots governance. We must persist in combining the rule of law with the rule of virtue, integrating Socialist Core Values into the construction of the rule of law, leveraging the educational role of virtue, and innovating grassroots governance models with local and regional characteristics to achieve mutual supplementation between good laws and beautiful virtues, and the integration of effects between the rule of law and the rule of virtue.
In grassroots governance, the government promotes the moral quality and legal awareness of the entire citizenry through moral education and cultural guidance, building a social moral environment conducive to the realization of autonomy and the rule of law. Social actors collaborate in grassroots governance based on moral principles, resolving grassroots contradictions and disputes and promoting grassroots social harmony. We should give full play to the advantages of fine traditional Chinese culture, using role models and the cultivation of daily etiquette and customs to guide the masses in distinguishing right from wrong and understanding honor and shame, thereby gathering a powerful spiritual force for advancing the modernization of grassroots social governance. By fostering a positive and healthy moral ethos and creating a moral environment favorable to autonomy and the rule of law, we can mobilize and organize the masses to actively participate in community public affairs and better play the leading role of the rule of virtue. We must vigorously promote the construction of civilized rural customs, utilizing mechanisms such as public opinion guidance to exert the unique role of moral rules. Through the leadership of models and typical examples, we can transform moral norms into specific action guides, so that the masses observe social ethics, professional ethics, family virtues, and improve personal character in their daily lives without even realizing it [6]. We encourage the masses to actively participate in the building of civic morality and cultural activities in the New Era, enhancing their identification with and adherence to various social norms, thus laying a solid foundation for improving the efficacy of grassroots governance. Inheriting fine traditional Chinese culture, we promote Socialist Core Values in villages and communities, effectively utilizing village regulations and residents' covenants, and improving mechanisms for family education and family traditions to play their part in grassroots governance, advocating for new civilized trends and breaking away from outdated customs and habits.
4. Promoting the Combination of Autonomy, Law, and Virtue
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Persist in leading grassroots governance through Party building, and improve the ability of grassroots Party organizations to lead grassroots governance." The grassroots is the foundation of the Party's governance and the source of its strength. We must implement the Party's leadership throughout the entire process and in all aspects of grassroots governance, enhancing the political leadership, ideological guidance, mass organization, and social mobilization of grassroots Party organizations. We must further improve the urban and rural grassroots governance system that combines autonomy, the rule of law, and the rule of virtue under the leadership of Party organizations, refine the social governance system based on collaboration, participation, and shared benefits, and comprehensively enhance the socialization, legalization, digitalization, and professionalization of grassroots governance, helping achieve Chinese-path modernization through the modernization of grassroots governance.
Grassroots level self-governance by the masses is an important form of socialist democracy. We should fully stimulate the enthusiasm and creativity of the masses in participating in grassroots governance, realizing self-management, self-service, self-education, and self-supervision of grassroots organizations. We must deeply cultivate the soil of the rule of law, allowing faith in and the practice of the rule of law to take root at the grassroots, and continuously enhancing the role of the rule of law in guaranteeing and promoting moral construction and the democratic rights of the grassroots masses. We must highlight the supportive role of the rule of virtue for the rule of law, vigorously promoting Socialist Core Values and guiding the grassroots masses to establish correct moral and legal concepts, providing deep nourishment for grassroots governance. By coordinating resources and forces from all parties, we can promote the positive interaction and organic integration of autonomy, law, and virtue, fully releasing the vitality of grassroots society. We should focus on building a community for grassroots social governance, stimulating the vitality of grassroots organizations, improving the volunteer service system, and incubating self-help organizations for the masses. We must smooth the diverse paths for the expression of public demands, coordination of interests, and protection of rights, and improve an organizational system that is vertically integrated and powerfully executed, thereby increasing the efficiency and mobilization capacity of grassroots organizations. The "Fengqiao Experience" in the New Era is an important exploration by the Party in leading the people to advance the modernization of grassroots governance and a vivid practice of the "three rules" integrated system. We must uphold and develop this experience, striving to solve problems at the grassroots and nip them in the bud, exploring effective paths for grassroots governance.
In short, grassroots governance is a systematic project that is "both vast and minute" [7]. Through political leadership, the foundation of autonomy, the guarantee of the rule of law, the education of virtue, and the empowerment of digital governance ("digital rule"), we can activate momentum, standardize governance, strengthen consensus, and gather strength. This will achieve an organic combination of top-down and bottom-up governance rules, promoting the continuous improvement of the level of grassroots governance modernization, laying a solid social foundation for Chinese-path modernization, and providing a guarantee of security.