Hitting the Target but Missing the Point: The Rise of Non-Mission-Based Targets in Performance Measurement of Chinese Local Governments

Abstract

A striking feature of the performance measurement system in Chinese local governments is the emphasis on non-mission-based targets. Drawing on data collected in a 5-year field research project in one inland Chinese county, this article examines the causes, dynamics, and consequences of the rise of non-mission-based targets in local China. It argues that non-mission-based targets are largely an expedient policy adopted by Chinese reformers to deal with the pressing political need to ensure effective governance in local areas. However, the implementation of a performance measurement system with non-mission-based targets has unexpectedly given rise to serious governing problems. In the long run, the widespread use of non-mission-based targets may create daunting challenges that jeopardize the basis of governance.

Cite this work

No public copy is stored for this record, so only the metadata is cited.

Stored only when both papers are in the corpus — 48 citations exist upstream.

Papers that cite the same references — the relational fallback while embeddings are still backfilling.