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Assessment is both a tool and a weapon. In the hands of administrators and administrative systems it can be used to discipline and advance the work of a collective towards its goals, and in the process build solidarity and unit trust. That is the ideal. All to often, and in every institution, it can serve as the means through which administrators may, with more or less ruthlessness, rationalize through the corruption of rules and standards systems, treat subordinates as personal servants and instruments of self-serving agendas clothed within the scientism of a "rules based" system, the veneer of which provides enough cover so that superiors can wink or pretend to ignore this corruption--as long as their own (personal and institutional) needs are satisfied.
But none of this is possible without standards against which conduct can be assessed. That assessment, in turn, bounded by those standards, is instrumental for deepening the presumption that decisions grounded on these methods are "fair" and rational". And they are, of course. Nonetheless, that is true only to the extent that the standards of assessment, and their application, are themselves fair and rational.
But fair and rational to whom?
For the corrupt official--anyone from university administrator, government official, church leader, enterprise techno-bureaucrat, and civil society manager, and those to whom they report--for the self-serving manager, "fairness" and "rationality" are measured as against their needs, their desires, their emotional relationship with those who, though they serve the organization, are understood as serving those managers first and as tools for the attainment of managerial greater glory. The object--standards-- is invested with meaning, is given significance, only in relation to the desires and needs of the assessing manger, the official who has understood standards as tools for ensuring that they are appropriately serviced. The positive effect of the application of those standards on the objectives of the collective are only consequential, to be achieved only to the extent necessary to ensure the personal progress of the official.
For the collective--any collective that engages int he rationalization of assessment of its productive forces (including its sometimes less that selfless servants in managerial roles)--"fairness" and "rationality" are measured against the needs and objectives of the organization itself. And that, in turn, is measured against the organizing premises and goals of the collective--its morals, values, and understanding of purpose. The object--standards--are constructed from out of these foundational elements and deployed, from time time with respect to then contemporary collective objectives and expectations.
Mediating between the two--the collective needs of the organization against that of officials who use assessment as the cover for their own self-serving application--becomes a difficult task for any organization. It requires the development of two sets of frameworks and the connections between them. On the one hand there are no assessments without standards that reflect the needs of the organization relevant to time and purpose. On the other there are also standards, usually expectations--defined by duty of some sort--of officials in good faith application of standards not for their personal benefit but for the enhancement of the operation of the organization. That struggle is endless but requires substantial investment by all assessment related stakeholders. Perfection is elusive. It requires a constantly shifting and intensely contextual interplay between standards, standards application, and the performance of good faith in both respects.
These are some of the ideas and thoughts that came to mind as one considered the announcement of the Communist Party of China's latest campaign--在全党开展树立和践行正确政绩观学习教育 [A Party-wide Education Campaign to Establish and Practice a Correct View of Performance], which was issued by the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and which appeared in the People's Daily and follows below in the original Chinese and in an English translation.
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中办印发《通知》
《人民日报》（2026年02月24日 第 01 版）
新华社北京2月23日电 近日，中共中央办公厅印发《关于在全党开展树立和践行正确政绩观学习教育的通知》（以下简称《通知》）。
《通知》指出，经党中央同意，在全党开展树立和践行正确政绩观学习教育（以下简称学习教育）。学习教育以县处级以上领导班子和领导干部特别是“一把手”为重点，于2026年春节假期后启动、7月底基本结束。
《通知》明确，要坚持以习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想为指导，深入贯彻党的二十大和二十届历次全会精神，认真落实四中全会部署，全面贯彻习近平总书记关于树立和践行正确政绩观的重要论述，持之以恒推进全面从严治党，以立党为公、为民造福、科学决策、真抓实干为总要求，以一体推进学查改为抓手，教育引导各级党组织和党员、干部坚持实事求是、求真务实，为人民出政绩、以实干出政绩，有效防范和纠治政绩观偏差，坚决有力贯彻落实党中央重大决策部署，完整准确全面贯彻新发展理念，加快构建新发展格局，着力推动高质量发展，创造经得起实践、人民、历史检验的实绩，推动“十五五”开好局、起好步，为以中国式现代化全面推进强国建设、民族复兴伟业提供有力保障。
《通知》强调，学习教育要坚持聚焦主题、简约务实，不分批次、不划阶段，认真落实学习研讨、查摆问题、整改整治、建章立制、开门教育等工作安排。要组织党员、干部深入学习习近平总书记关于树立和践行正确政绩观的重要论述，深入学习《中共中央关于制定国民经济和社会发展第十五个五年规划的建议》，深入学习习近平总书记关于本地区本部门本领域的重要讲话和重要指示精神，进一步强化立党为公、为民造福理念。县处级以上领导班子及其成员通过督促检查、调查研究、了解群众反映等途径，深入查找政绩观方面存在的问题，从党性上找差距、查根源、强修养。要坚持与中央巡视整改、深入贯彻中央八项规定精神学习教育整改、“十五五”规划编制实施、生态环保督察整改等相结合，边查边改、立行立改，对突出问题开展集中整治，持续推动整改落实。做好建章立制，深入查找现行制度机制中不符合正确政绩观要求的规定，该废止的废止，该修订的修订。要坚持开门教育，查摆问题听取群众意见，整改整治接受群众监督，检验成效接受群众评判；坚持民生为大，为群众多办实事，让群众可感可及。
《通知》要求，各级党委（党组）要把开展学习教育作为重要政治任务，精心组织实施，确保取得实效。党委（党组）主要负责同志要履行好第一责任人责任。结合不同层级、地区、领域、行业实际，加强分类指导。做好宣传引导，力戒形式主义。
The General Office of the CPC Central Committee Issues a Notice
A Party-wide Education Campaign to Establish and Practice a Correct View of Performance
(People's Daily, February 24, 2026, Page 01)
Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, February 23 – The General Office of the CPC Central Committee recently issued a "Notice on A Party-wide Education Campaign to Establish and Practice a Correct View of Performance" (hereinafter referred to as the "Notice").
The Notice states that, with the approval of the CPC Central Committee, a Party-wide education campaign to establish and practice a correct view of performance (hereinafter referred to as the "education campaign") will be launched. The campaign will focus on leading bodies and leading cadres at the county and department levels and above, especially the "top leaders," and will begin after the Spring Festival holiday in 2026 and basically conclude by the end of July.
The "Notice" clarifies that it is essential to adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, thoroughly implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and its subsequent plenary sessions, earnestly implement the arrangements of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee, fully implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's important expositions on establishing and practicing a correct view of performance, persistently advance the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party, take serving the public interest, benefiting the people, making scientific decisions, and working diligently as the general requirements, and use the integrated approach of learning, investigation, and reform as a starting point to educate and guide Party organizations at all levels, Party members, and cadres to adhere to seeking truth from facts and being pragmatic, to achieve performance for the people and through hard work, effectively prevent and correct deviations in the view of performance, resolutely and forcefully implement the major decisions and deployments of the CPC Central Committee, fully and accurately implement the new development philosophy, accelerate the construction of a new development pattern, focus on promoting high-quality development, create achievements that can withstand the test of practice, the people, and history, promote a good start to the "15th Five-Year Plan," and provide a strong guarantee for comprehensively advancing the construction of a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-style modernization.
The notice emphasizes that the learning and education campaign should adhere to a focused approach, be concise and pragmatic, and proceed without batches or phases. It should earnestly implement the work arrangements for learning and discussion, problem identification, rectification, system building, and open education. Party members and cadres should be organized to deeply study General Secretary Xi Jinping's important expositions on establishing and practicing a correct view of performance, the "Suggestions of the CPC Central Committee on Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development," and General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speeches and instructions on their respective regions, departments, and fields, further strengthening the concept of serving the Party and the people. Leading bodies at the county and department levels and above, and their members, should thoroughly identify problems in their view of performance through supervision, investigation, research, and understanding of public feedback, finding gaps in their Party spirit, investigating the root causes, and strengthening their self-cultivation. This should be combined with the rectification of issues identified in the central inspection, the rectification of the learning and education campaign to thoroughly implement the spirit of the Central Committee's Eight-Point Regulation, the formulation and implementation of the 15th Five-Year Plan, and the rectification of ecological and environmental protection inspections, rectifying problems while investigating, and carrying out concentrated rectification of prominent issues to continuously promote the implementation of rectification. The notice emphasizes the need to establish sound systems and regulations, thoroughly investigate existing systems and mechanisms that do not conform to the correct view of performance evaluation, and abolish or revise those that should be abolished. It stresses the importance of open education, soliciting public opinion on identifying problems, accepting public supervision in rectification and improvement, and accepting public evaluation of the results. It also emphasizes prioritizing people's livelihood, doing practical things for the people, and ensuring that the people can feel and benefit from these efforts.
The notice requires that Party committees (leading Party groups) at all levels treat this learning and education campaign as an important political task, carefully organize and implement it, and ensure its effectiveness. The principal leaders of Party committees (leading Party groups) must fulfill their primary responsibility. They should strengthen classified guidance based on the realities of different levels, regions, fields, and industries. They should also strengthen publicity and guidance, and resolutely guard against formalism.
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