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Last summer a series of data were made official that seemed to radiograph the work state in China. In essence, the great factory in the world seemed to be giving signals of exhaustion. The reasons? The Nation labor market was changing, and with them the new generations and their demands. However, if you are an official of the nation, the thing changes.
Motivate with public shame. I told it a few days ago The New York Times. In a context of economic slowdownpolitical tensions and a hardening of the discipline within the Communist Party, the Chinese government has implemented a new strategy to encourage its officials: public humiliation.
As? In several cities, the authorities have begun to grant the so -called “Caracol Awards”, a form of symbolic punishment to exhibit public employees who consider themselves inefficient or not very diligent in their work. So, And according to the official narrativethe purpose of these awards is “to make officials blush and sweat, refreshing their mind” to improve their performance.
In the background, a tactic that reflects a growing pressure on the state bureaucracy, which is trapped between the strict leadership orders of Xi Jinping and the fear of making decisions that They can be seen as politically incorrect.
A paralyzed government. The Times highlighted That the nation desperately needs that its officials are proactive to promote new projects, attract investments and reactivate economic growth. However, in recent years, the government has launched A series of anti -corruption purges and has repressed key sectors such as technology, private education and finance.
This has generated an environment of uncertainty, where local officials prefer not to take risks, since any initiative can be interpreted as a deviation from party guidelines. For decades, local leaders They competed to present great projects Infrastructure to gain prestige within the game. But now, many of these officials have been punished for initiatives for collection of unauthorized funds or constructions. Under this scenario, the safest option is to do nothing.
Caracol awards as a symptom. However, the recent wave of these “Caracol Awards” and other forms of public punishment show that inaction is no longer an acceptable option for the central government. In fact, at least three cities have adopted this measure, According to People’s Dailythe Official Gazette of the Communist Party.
In addition, in Chinese social networks Videos have been viralized of officials with serious expression receiving framed certificates, a punishment designed to expose them before their colleagues and superiors. Apparently, the “Caracol Awards” are just one of the tools that the government is using to force officials to work more. In the province of Guangdong, for example, it has been created A database of officials that “go to bed” at work, using Chinese “tangping” (躺平), which means “throwing and doing nothing.”
More cases. Even more alarming is that the central commission of discipline and control of the party, the agency responsible for combating corruption, has doubled the number of punishments against officials in just one year. In 2024, 138,000 public employees They were sanctioned, most of “irresponsibility”, “inaction” or “pretend they work.” This figure exceeds the sanctions for traditional corruption, which seems to indicate that the government is more concerned about the lack of activity of its officials than due to bribery or influence peddling.
In fact, some local administrations have gone even further, dismissal or reassessing employees In an effort to press them to work more. A strategy that raises a more or less obvious dilemma: if the fear of being punished, will public humiliation really make them more efficient?
XI Ping and the method. It is the other of the legs that is reflected with these initiatives. The hardening of disciplinary measures against officials occurs at a time when Xi Jinping has reinforced its control over Chinese politics and economy. Although he has recently tried to reconcile with the private sector, meeting with some of The main entrepreneurs in the countrythe government’s message remains contradictory.
On the one hand, in December 2024 two of the agencies that supervise state investments announced that They would accept certain investment risks normal, insinuating that officials who promote failed projects will not be automatically punished. In Sichuan, an official who diverted funds without authorization to build public bathrooms was exonerated … Because he did not do it for personal purposes.
However, fear is still present. In a recent speech, Xi Jinping reaffirmed that political purge and the fight against corruption They would continue without concessionswhich contradicts attempts to create a more permissive environment for local officials. Under this context, it seems difficult for local leaders to trust that the government will really tolerate mistakes if they decide to assume more risks.
A less attractive job. In front of the discontent of many young people In other sectors, and despite the growing pressure on public officials, the number of new generations that compete for jobs in government Continue reaching record levels. This, obviously, may seem paradoxical, given the work environment more and more tense, but it has an explanation: the Chinese economy is in crisis, and jobs in the private sector offer even less stability than the public sector.
In this regard, Dongshu LiuProfessor of Chinese politics at the University of Hong Kong, summed up the situation in the Times With a devastating phrase: “Yes, being a public official is no longer as good as ten years ago, but the other options are still worse.”
Autocastigo. Thus, officials of lower rank not only face uncertainty about their salaries, since some local administrations have stopped paying salaries on time, but must also assume increasing workloads. Many of its functions now include constant eye verifications of citizens and companies, a measure that responds to the obsession of Xi Jinping by Increase the presence of the State in life population daily.
If you want also, the data indicate that China seems caught in A cycle of distrust and repression. On the one hand, Xi Jinping needs local officials to be proactive to boost economic growth and recover investors’ confidence. On the other, the political repression and culture of punishment have paralyzed the bureaucracy, making the only safe option, paradoxically, do nothing.
Otherwise said. The implementation of strategies such as these “Caracol Awards” does not seem to solve the underlying problem. Instead of inspiring officials to take initiative, these measures deepen fear and uncertainty, which, a priori, could worsen the economic and administrative crisis that China already faces.
Image | Keppet, World Bank
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