"Hands off research", "Lazy research", "Handover research"... Be wary of the problem of "Coping research" | Route | Research
Investigation and research are the foundation of planning and the way to success. Since the beginning of this year, various regions and departments have deeply implemented the requirements of the central government, continuously made practical efforts in deepening investigations and research, and sought practical results, effectively promoting investigations and research to solve problems.
A recent visit by a journalist from Banyuetan found that a few places and departments have deviated from the original intention of research, conducting research for the sake of research, simply handling it, and not paying attention to the effectiveness of research. Some assign tasks such as writing reports to the respondents, while others focus solely on problem selection, while others only seek to complete the task by submitting the paper. Experts believe that these "coping style surveys" are not meant to discover real problems or solve them, but rather to promote practical work with insufficient effectiveness and urgently need to be rectified.
"Hands off Survey": The report remains after the person leaves
Wang Jun, a cadre of the municipal system in a central city, has been very distressed recently. He pinched his fingers and told the Half Moon Talk reporter that in just 20 working days in June, they received 27 on-site investigations from their superiors and corresponding departments. Some of them had to visit 5 points in a day, and the time spent on the road was longer than the research time. "Hurriedly rushing to the scene, there was no time for discussion, and before leaving, we could only ask for materials. Some even left us with the task of writing research reports."
"There must be achievements, experience, problems, and suggestions, and there must be vivid cases of seeing people and seeing things." A township cadre in a certain area told a half month talk reporter that in the past month, they have received more than ten investigation and research material tasks, all of which are very detailed, and some have directly requested to provide research reports.
Sometimes the materials are not fully submitted yet. A grassroots cadre said, "Sometimes sending it up requires multiple layers of supervision, and the superior department cannot afford to offend it. We can only make modifications according to the requirements, but the writing level of most township cadres is not high, and it is simply difficult for them to write materials that are new and outstanding."
Some grassroots cadres admit that they are more afraid of "people coming" than material circulation. This cadre told the Half Moon Talk reporter that if someone comes, not only do they need to prepare the introduction materials in advance, but some also need to rehearse according to the schedule in advance, from cleaning to on-site decoration, all of which need to be carefully prepared. "A leader once conducted a research on the new era civilization practice work in the village under his jurisdiction. Originally, all the work was good, but due to mistakenly writing the practice station as the practice station, he left a bad impression on the leader. He couldn't remember what was right and couldn't forget what was wrong, which was like the previous work was in vain."
"The key is to be accompanied layer by layer," a primary school principal told a half month talk reporter. Once, a deputy district chief who was not in charge of education came to the school for research, but got angry because the education director was not accompanied. Now when the superior department comes to conduct research, not only the school leaders need to accompany, but also the main leaders and responsible leaders of the Education Bureau need to accompany.
"Lazy research": focusing on old problems and avoiding new contradictions
Half month talk reporters found through research that some people are also lazy when it comes to selecting research content and themes.
On the one hand, some people conduct research and specialize in kneading "rotten persimmons" without touching the real contradictions. A forestry system official told a half month talk reporter that many research outlines are monotonous and the problems have no personality. The research conclusions mostly focus on common sense issues, and involve some problems that the research department can directly solve, such as "insufficient afforestation space and excessive planning indicators", which are often avoided.
Some financial officials also share the same feeling. Regarding common knowledge issues in the industry such as the performance of fiscal fund utilization and zero base budget reform, higher-level research departments often mention them. However, grassroots issues such as debt situation and fiscal "three guarantees" funds are rarely addressed.
On the other hand, some cadres imitate their superiors in research topics and dare not "start over". A certain bureau in the north has 11 departments and less than 20 positions, but corresponds to 3 departments and more than 40 departments in the province. The director said that if we don't make arrangements for the subordinates in two days, we will save fifty or sixty documents at all levels.
"In fact, some of the research questions are old problems, and it is clear from top to bottom that research is just a 'supplementary procedure', making it easier to submit manuscripts, accounts, and differences." The director said that regarding the research topic, his superiors also conducted "same topic research", and he dared not start a new research, otherwise it would be "bullying" the material clerk.
In response to this type of research that focuses on old problems without touching new contradictions, some places have created "classic research routes" and "bonsai research points" like creating tourist routes. Regardless of the research topic, they all go to the same route, visit the same group of objects, and listen to the same set of speeches.
A person in charge of a typical grassroots window unit in China told Half Month Talk reporters that they have been receiving several rounds of research every week recently, and they have had to prepare a set of "universal materials" for "professional explanations".
"Cross examination research": seeking quantity but not quality
Several grassroots cadres told the Half Month Talk reporter that the investigation and research mainly involves submitting papers to the higher ups, with little feedback given to the grassroots. A cadre from a certain municipal unit told a half month talk reporter that the superior department came to investigate and was willing to report the issue before. However, if the issue was raised too much, it would neither provide feedback nor stir up controversy. In fact, whoever raises the problem will solve it, causing trouble. "If you say too much, it's useless. If you ask about the situation again, just say 'no'."
In addition to confusion at the grassroots level, many researchers also have confusion. Several leading cadres interviewed by Half Moon Talk reporters admitted that the end point of their research is to "submit the report and complete the task.". A cadre said that each department is responsible for research tasks, in addition to the leadership, there are also their own. After the summary and submission of research reports from each department, it will be a large number, and there are indeed doubts about the effectiveness of these reports.
According to interviewed experts such as Professor Xu Guangjian from the School of Public Administration of Renmin University of China and Dean Yin Limin from the School of Public Policy and Management of Nanchang University, the starting point of the negative research tendency in actual work is not to solve problems, but to conduct research for the sake of research, which is a reversal of the standard and seriously violates the original intention of investigation and research. Some cadres are unwilling to conduct in-depth and meticulous investigations and research, and are unwilling to do meticulous basic work. Essentially, it is still formalism and bureaucracy that are detached from the masses and reality.
Investigation and research are tools, means, and methods. The core essence lies in discovering and solving problems, and the ultimate effectiveness also depends on whether the problems are solved well. Experts say that to promote in-depth and practical investigation and research, it is necessary to truly go deep into the grassroots and the masses, identify the pulse of people's livelihoods, find the right solutions, and use research results to focus on solving a number of prominent problems that are needed for development, urgent for reform, hoped for by the grassroots, and desired by the people.
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