Voice
Will the Evaluation System Improve Government Services?
The evaluation system should not only encompass those who directly interact with the public, but also higher-level officials who manage these departments
  ·  2020-01-16  ·   Source: NO.4 JANUARY 23, 2020
LI SHIGONG

The General Office of the State Council recently issued a document proposing the establishment of a government service evaluation system, which will allow businesses and the public to judge if services are up to scratch. Set for the end of 2020, the goal is to get accurate information so that governments at various levels are able to improve services with clear targets in mind and bolster their work efficiency for a better business environment and a fairer social environment.

If people feel they are not treated well or are not satisfied with administrative services, they can post a negative review about the person who served them. The number of negative reviews that a government worker receives will determine their salary or even their work prospects.

Recently, there have been major efforts made by governments at various levels to improve the quality and efficiency of administrative services. Nevertheless, there is still room for improvement before the public can feel really satisfied. For example, it often happens that public complaints and demands are not addressed in a timely or thorough manner. This deviates from the basic requirements and also affects the government's reputation.

Some believe that the evaluation system will motivate government agencies to do a good job and send a positive signal to the public and the market, giving them more confidence in government services. However, others point out that this system is not a panacea. Like the reviews on e-commerce platforms, it can also encounter various problems, given the complexity of government services.

A good new system

Mao Jianguo (Nanfang Metropolis Daily): The most striking part of the government service evaluation system is that it has transformed conventional government work assessment models. For so many years, government services and performance assessment took a top-down approach, and was usually opaque and inaccurate. The new evaluation system, however, gives the right of assessment to businesses and the public, which can ensure openness and transparency.

With online shops, if they do not offer good services, they not only receive negative reviews and lose current customers, but potential shoppers are also driven away. Meanwhile, the shops get penalized by the e-business platforms they operate on. Similarly, if government departments and workers do not take the public's complaints and requirements seriously, they will get negative reviews, which will directly affect their personal evaluation or even undermine their career. The evaluation system is timely and effective, and is expected to better solve business and public problems and difficulties.

The system will make the idea of involving the public in assessing government services a reality. We can expect this new system to play its due role in improving government services and increasing the public's satisfaction with government services.

Lian Hongyang (Guangzhou Daily): It is a fact that governments at various levels are trying to improve their services and public satisfaction has risen as a result. However, they still have a lot to do to push their services to a higher level to meet businesses' and the public's rising requirements. Although government workers' attitude toward the public is improving, both offline and online, people still find that in many cases, they can't get their problems resolved quickly. Government hotlines seem to be always busy. E-government procedures are not flexible enough.

The new evaluation system is similar to the review system on online shopping platforms, which has been a big success in e-business, thanks to its high transparency. Consumer comments are available for potential buyers to decide whether to buy or not. Likewise, when the government evaluation system is in place, the whole procedure and the results of the assessment should be open and transparent. The public and businesses should be able to read the comments left by others.

Let's take a look at what a negative review means to an online shop. It is said that 10 negative reviews can shut down a shop. It is not the e-business platform that shuts the shop down, but the public's backlash. The situation is different from government services because consumers can choose to buy things at other shops if they find one shop with negative reviews. But for government services, the public and businesses do not have other alternatives. So, penalization based on individual government worker's assessment must be conducted strictly. It is necessary to link individuals' performance with that of their departments and even the whole organization. It's equally important that individuals who receive positive reviews be praised or rewarded in some way to differentiate them from those who get negative reviews.

It sometimes happens that negative reviews are deleted by online shops, and this is seen as impairing fairness in the system. Given this problem, the government must do its utmost to ensure the fairness and objectivity of the evaluation system. Not only do businesses' and the public's legitimate rights hinge on this, but the very survival of the new evaluation system. How to maximize fairness and supervise assessment to make the system most reliable is the question that needs to be carefully reviewed.

Preparations needed

Ma Liang (China Youth Daily): Before implementing the government evaluation system, it's important to classify services in accordance with their functions and features, while comments should provide as many details as possible. It's unwise to set up a system where a general ranking is given to several government departments or within a department, since some departments may be overestimated or underestimated, with the problem never to be found. These departments will get discouraged when flaws in services remain hidden.

A unified standard on government services will help to make the evaluation of services in different regions, departments and levels fair and encourage all parties to improve their services when they notice gaps. The use of this new evaluation system should not squeeze out other evaluation processes, so that overdependence on this system can be prevented. For example, in government services, processes can always be tracked. Thus, this recorded data can serve as specific and accurate material for the analysis and evaluation of related services, as a supplement to people's negative or positive reviews.

It's also important to ensure the legitimate rights of both service providers and those who make comments on their services to prevent malignant negative reviews and revenge on those who give negative reviews. In the past, although businesses and the public may have been dissatisfied with government services, they rarely provided any comments, especially under their real name, since they were afraid of reprisals. Given this dilemma, the priority is to make government workers aware of public scrutiny and the public more at ease about expressing their true feelings about government services. Otherwise, we can't expect the evaluation system to work effectively.

The document encourages people and businesses to make comments under their real names and to take the opportunity to ensure their legitimate rights are respected. Their feedback is important for service improvement and solving problems embedded in the system. It's equally important to ensure that government departments and their staff receive objective and fair comments, so that they respond to feedback without feeling obliged to do things beyond their job description for fear of public.

Shu Nian (comment.workercn.cn): The evaluation system will fuel government departments' enthusiasm to provide good service to the public and businesses. Although it somewhat emulates the evaluation system on e-commerce platforms, it must be different from this model. We know that negative reviews cannot always prevent fake or defective products from being sold on these platforms and that negative reviews can sometimes lead to online shops seeking revenge against the critics.

In some organizations or departments that offer face-to-face services, there already is an evaluation system. In banks, for example, clients are asked to give a negative or positive review on the spot. However, seldom will clients give a negative review in front of the bank clerks.

If the same thing happens in the government system, we can't expect the public to express their true feeling. Thus, a reasonable design is urgently needed.

Different government departments have different authority and responsibilities, and their frequency of contact with the public or businesses also varies. Under the current evaluation system, environmental protection bureaus and urban management and law enforcement departments usually get the least points. However, this does not necessarily mean that these departments are not doing as good a job as other government departments. This is mostly due to the fact that the public has more contact with them than other departments.

Thus, the evaluation system should not only encompass those who directly interact with the public, but also higher-level officials who manage these departments.

Copyedited by Rebeca Toledo

Comments to dingying@bjreview.com

China
Opinion
World
Business
Lifestyle
Video
Multimedia
 
China Focus
Documents
Special Reports
 
About Us
Contact Us
Advertise with Us
Subscribe
Partners: China.org.cn   |   China Today   |   China Pictorial   |   People's Daily Online   |   Women of China   |   Xinhua News Agency   |   China Daily
CGTN   |   China Tibet Online   |   China Radio International   |   Global Times   |   Qiushi Journal
Copyright Beijing Review All rights reserved 京ICP备08005356号 京公网安备110102005860