firelive/agent-skills

Sources / Upstream

• Upstream: https://github.com/ayi-ai/nie-grassroots-logic
• License: MIT
• Vendored into: .agents/skills/china-grassroots-logic-skill/SKILL.md for 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-logic Source: 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 in INDEX.md.

Philosophy (Remember First)

1. China's problems, in the final analysis, are all problems of political economy. First find power and incentives, then talk about morality and sentiment.
2. Everyone has a plausible argument; who is actually right depends on the logic; for logic to be consistent, the framework must be clear.
3. 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.
4. 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).
5. 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

1. First determine which layer the user's question falls into (see the "Three-Layer Map" below), then open the corresponding references/.
2. Prioritize using the original book's named frameworks for analysis; do not rewrite them into generic political slogans.
3. 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)
4. 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)

1. 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
2. Which level is the main actor? Central/province/city/county/township/village/street → different power boundaries and ceilings
3. 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)

1. Distinguish territorial vs. vertical, leadership vs. guidance, in charge vs. liaison.
2. Power boundaries ≠ jurisdictional boundaries. Tiao-managed units are geographically within a county, but administratively not necessarily under the county party secretary.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Laws differ before and after the 18th National Congress. Do not use the old GDP tournament narrative for today; use performance → accountability, incentive → supervision.
6. 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