Sources / Upstream
- Upstream: https://github.com/ayi-ai/nie-grassroots-logic
- License: MIT
- Vendored into:
.agents/skills/china-grassroots-logic-skill/SKILL.mdfor Moi/Codex shared install
This file may be a vendored copy or a thin pointer. Prefer installing/cloning the upstream repo when it ships assets, scripts, or AGPL obligations.
The Operational Logic of Grassroots China
Executable AI Skill · Install ID:
nie-grassroots-logicSource: Nie Huihua's The Operational Logic of Grassroots China (Organizational Economics + Political Economy + Field Research) This skill purifies structure, does not write summaries; stays true to the original book's naming and causality, and does not fabricate frameworks/numbers/cases not present in the original book. The open-source package does not contain the full text of the book; please purchase the official copy. A one-page index is inINDEX.md.
Philosophy (Remember First)
- China's problems, in the final analysis, are all problems of political economy. First find power and incentives, then talk about morality and sentiment.
- Everyone has a plausible argument; who is actually right depends on the logic; for logic to be consistent, the framework must be clear.
- People follow resources, resources follow power, and the essence of power is the hierarchy. Markets and hierarchy coexist; many things at the grassroots are not allocated by price.
- To understand China, you must first understand the grassroots. The grassroots are the foundation and the base camp; state governance and grassroots governance must be governed from both top and bottom (top-bottom joint governance).
- Limited power + unlimited responsibility (political contract system) is the structural tension for local chief officials; do not simply portray the county party secretary as a "local emperor" or a "Judge Bao".
Mandatory Steps When Invoking This Skill
- First determine which layer the user's question falls into (see the "Three-Layer Map" below), then open the corresponding
references/. - Prioritize using the original book's named frameworks for analysis; do not rewrite them into generic political slogans.
- Default output structure:
- What kind of problem is this (Tiao/Kuai? Level? Incentive? Fiscal power?)
- Which framework to apply
- Causal chain (who incentivizes whom, is power and responsibility symmetric)
- Actionable judgment/options (for job selection, news reading, writing analysis)
- Anti-pattern reminder (see
anti-patterns-voice.md)
- For uncertain institutional details, mark "[Discussed in original book; please verify latest specific regulations against current documents]"; do not pretend to have the latest personnel information.
Three-Layer Map (Book Framework)
| Layer | Content | When to Use | Deep Read |
|---|---|---|---|
| I National Institutional Background | Tiao-Kuai system; dual equilibrium of internal vs. external conflict; top-bottom joint governance; administrative divisions (interlocking vs. natural boundaries) | Explaining "why it's always like this", central-local game, centralization-decentralization shifts | dual-equilibrium.md + tiaokuai-and-rank.md |
| II Power Operation | Power boundaries of county party secretaries; dual first-in-command; executive deputy/higher rank; power-content coefficient (hanquanliang); street/township/village | Job selection, understanding positions, power boundaries, who manages whom | power-and-positions.md |
| III Grassroots Governance | Three mountains; township difficulties; assessment and promotion; digital supervision; investment attraction/land finance/debt; urbanization and business environment | Understanding chief's pressure, local economic models, policy consequences | local-governance.md + development-dilemmas.md |
One-page master index diagram (14 reference full map) → INDEX.md
| Package | Files |
|---|---|
| Five personal decision scenarios | life-decisions.md |
| Village party secretary/village official suitability | village-fit.md |
| Household impact of county-to-district rezoning | rezoning-household.md |
| Pushing projects (Kunshan/West-to-East Gas Pipeline) | bottom-up-project.md |
| Business environment comparison | business-environment.md |
| Boundaries of fault-tolerant innovation | innovation-risk-boundary.md |
| Competing for high-speed rail/mega-projects | mega-project-contest.md |
| Scenario quick paths A–L | playbooks.md |
| Anti-patterns + author's voice | anti-patterns-voice.md |
Framework Quick Reference (One Sentence)
| Framework | One Sentence | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
| Dual Equilibrium of Internal vs. External Conflict | Internal stability ↔ external stability conflict → two compatible systems of centralization/decentralization; institutional rigidity = mystery of rise and fall | Macro national policy, inspection/assessment shifts, digital technology and centralization |
| Tiao-Kuai Combination, Kuai as Primary | Matrix governance; territorial responsibility falls on Kuai; differentiate Tiao and Kuai | Power-responsibility asymmetry, "a thousand threads above", Tiao-managed units |
| Central-Local = Principal-Agent | Neither brothers nor father-son; lower-level obedience + local self-interest game | Policy distortion, hierarchical trust, pilot projects and expansion |
| Hierarchical Resource Allocation | City/official pyramid; fiscal funnel; administrative rank raises TFP but also increases misallocation | Urban gaps, county-to-district/city rezoning, why resources concentrate upward |
| Three Factors of Power-Content Coefficient (Hanquanliang) | Rank + what people you manage + how much money you manage | Comparing power of same-rank positions, hidden steps, non-linear promotion |
| Three Mountains for County Party Secretary | Maintaining stability, attracting investment, borrowing debt | County chief behavior, motivations behind local news |
| Pressure-Based System + Attention Allocation | Indicator inflation, veto power, ratchet effect; departments compete for assessment power | Formalism, inspection readiness, more and more indicators |
| Incentive → Supervision Shift | Digital technology reduces information asymmetry → process supervision + multi-factor veto power | New normal post-18th National Congress, fingertip formalism |
| Government-Enterprise Four Quadrants | Cooperation/separation/harm/collusion (intervention × legality) | Investment attraction, business environment, "qin-qing + ping" relation |
| Land Finance Closed Loop | Low-price industrial land for tax base + high-price commercial/residential land for revenue + infrastructure cross-subsidy | Housing prices, debt, industrial parks, land revenue dependence |
| Vitality vs. Order | The trade-off framework in the big city vs. small city urbanization debate; advocates a third path | Regional policy, shrinking cities, unified large market |
| Top-Bottom Joint Governance | Top-level design + crossing the river by feeling the stones; two initiatives | Reform pilot projects, how local innovation gets legitimized |
| Kunshan Three-Step Approach | Do first without saying → Do and then say → Get on the bus first, then buy the ticket | Grassroots innovation, how enterprises/localities push policy |
| West-to-East Gas Pipeline Nine Steps | Idea → Report → Inspection → Instruction → Feasibility Study → Approval → Leading Group → Implementation | National-level/provincial cross-mega-projects |
| Government-Business Qin-Qing Index | Close (service) + Qing (predictability); incomplete contracts | City selection, investment, calibrating regional jargon |
| Fault-Tolerant Innovation Three-Color Boundary | Red line/Gray zone/Green zone; innovation patch in an era of accountability | Whether to dare to act, lying flat vs. random action |
| Mega-Project Competition Five Acts | Enter plan → Seize station → Attention → Supporting facilities → Implementation siphon effect | High-speed rail stations, hubs, national projects |
Decision Tree (Ask These Three Questions First)
- Is this a power structure problem or an incentive/assessment problem?
- Structure (who manages whom, Tiao or Kuai) → Layer I/II
- Incentive (why work hard/not work hard/do formalism) → Layer III assessment and promotion
- Which level is the main actor? Central/province/city/county/township/village/street → different power boundaries and ceilings
- Does the user need an explanation or a choice?
- Explain phenomenon → framework causality
- Personal choice (education/civil service exam/investment/retirement/entrepreneurship) → read first
life-decisions.md, then supplement with corresponding framework reference
Key Principles (Hold Firm When Invoking)
- Distinguish territorial vs. vertical, leadership vs. guidance, in charge vs. liaison.
- Power boundaries ≠ jurisdictional boundaries. Tiao-managed units are geographically within a county, but administratively not necessarily under the county party secretary.
- Where there is power, there is responsibility, but grassroots often have small power and big responsibility. When analyzing, specify whether the "unlimited liability political contract" is in effect.
- Do not mix centralization/decentralization factors. Centralization pairs with: supervision, loyalty, one-size-fits-all, interlocking boundaries; decentralization pairs with: incentives, capability, diversity, natural boundaries.
- Laws differ before and after the 18th National Congress. Do not use the old GDP tournament narrative for today; use performance → accountability, incentive → supervision.
- Evidence discipline. Framework names, propositions, and cases come from the original book; numbers and personnel matters rely on the original book/user supplements.
When to Read Which Reference
Complete one-page diagram + 14 file table + Mermaid → Must see
INDEX.md
| User Input/Task | Open |
|---|---|
| Tiao-Kuai, territorial responsibility, central-local, provincial boundaries (interlocking), emperor's power not reaching below the county, dual equilibrium, top-bottom joint governance | dual-equilibrium.md + tiaokuai-and-rank.md |
| City rank, official level, promotion tournament/new normal, how major policies are issued | tiaokuai-and-rank.md |
| County party secretary power, executive deputy, higher rank, power-content coefficient, street office, village official, job selection | power-and-positions.md |
| Who is suitable to be village party secretary, dual role of party secretary and village head, college-graduate village official, wealth leader, returning to village as cadre | village-fit.md (required) + power-and-positions.md |
| County-to-district/county-to-city rezoning impact on life/housing prices/school districts/civil service exam, our county is being rezoned to district | rezoning-household.md (required) + tiaokuai-and-rank.md |
| Three mountains, township party secretary challenges, assessment indicators, veto power, digitalization, formalism | local-governance.md |
| Investment attraction, land finance, local debt, e-commerce rescuing county towns, big city vs. small city | development-dilemmas.md |
| Business environment, investment not crossing Shanhaiguan, government-business qin-qing relation, comparing two cities for where to settle | business-environment.md (required) |
| How to push projects/reforms, Kunshan three-step approach, get on the bus first then buy the ticket, mega-project initiation, expert/internal reference | bottom-up-project.md (required) |
| Fault tolerance, daring to innovate, grassroots lying flat/inaction, how to pilot under accountability | innovation-risk-boundary.md (required) |
| Competing for high-speed rail stations/hubs, why big projects land there, empty stations after opening | mega-project-contest.md (required) |
| Education/college city selection, civil service exam job selection, home buying/real estate investment, retirement location, entrepreneurship dealing with government | life-decisions.md (required) + linked table below |
| Help me choose a job/read this news/write an analysis/give advice on how to deal with the government | playbooks.md |
| Don't write AI platitudes / explain like Teacher Nie would | anti-patterns-voice.md |
Five Scenarios → Framework Linkage (Personal Decisions)
| User Scenario | Required Read | Deepen |
|---|---|---|
| Education | life-decisions.md §1 | tiaokuai-and-rank.md; if involving administrative division → rezoning-household.md |
| Civil Service Exam | life-decisions.md §2 | power-and-positions.md + local-governance.md; village official → village-fit.md |
| Investment | life-decisions.md §3 | development-dilemmas.md + business-environment.md; rezoning → rezoning-household.md |
| Retirement | life-decisions.md §4 | tiaokuai-and-rank.md + local-governance.md; rezoning → rezoning-household.md |
| Entrepreneurship | life-decisions.md §5 | development-dilemmas.md + business-environment.md; pushing projects → bottom-up-project.md; returning to village → village-fit.md |
Quality Gate (Self-Check)
- Used original book's named framework, not vague "we must value grassroots"
- Clearly stated at least one of Tiao/Kuai, level, or incentive
- Provided actionable judgment, not just emotional resonance
- Did not simplify county party secretary into absolute power
- Did not fabricate data or institutional details not in the original book