问责-避责关系新解:基于“行动-制度-环境”框架

A New Explanation of Relationship Between Accountability and Blame Avoidance:Based on the Framework of“Action-Institution-Environment”

问责与避责间的关系是责任政治研究的重要议题,其中,问责导致避责的机制亟待探究。以X县早稻生产政策过程为例,基于“行动-制度-环境”的分析框架,探讨上级问责与基层避责之间的关系机制。研究发现:基层干部避责行为是上级问责制度与基层社会环境共同作用的结果,是作为责任者的基层干部面对上级问责压力和农民抗拒压力的理性选择。为贯彻落实非粮化整治政策,上级通过责任分配、责任考核和督查问责制度,给基层干部施加了巨大的早稻生产责任压力。而农民在长期的生产历史过程中已经形成了以中稻种植模式为主导的、较为稳定的生产秩序,拒不执行早稻生产政策。承受双重压力的基层干部只能采取责任兜底的属地化机制、利益交换的市场化机制和联合避责的科层化机制来规避上级问责风险。作为行动者的基层干部运用自由裁量权,通过隐匿信息、集体负债等方式,在一定程度上改变了既有的制度-环境,再造了基层治理结构。

The relationship between accountability and blame avoidance is an important topic in the study of responsibility politics where the mechanisms by which accountability leads to blame avoidance needs to be explored urgently.Taking the early rice crop production policy process in X County as an example,this paper discusses the relationship mechanism between accountability at higher-level and blame avoidance of lower-level,based on the analytical framework of“action-institution-environment”.The study found that the blame avoidance behavior of grassroots cadres is the result of the joint effect of the accountability system at the higher level and the social environment at the lower level,and it is the rational choice of the grassroots cadres as those responsible in the face of the pressure of accountability from the higher level and the resistance of farmers.In order to implement the non-grain rectification policy,the superiors have imposed huge pressure on the grassroots cadres through responsibility distribution,responsibility assessment and supervision and accountability systems.The farmers,nevertheless,have developed a relatively stable production order dominated by the middle rice crop planting model over the long-term production history and refused to implement the early rice crop production policy.Grassroots cadres who are under double pressure can only adopt a territorialization mechanism of responsibility underwriting,the market-oriented mechanism for exchanging interests,and the bureaucratic mechanism for joint responsibility avoidance to avoid the rist of accoutablity at higher levels.The grassroots cadres who are the actors use their discretionary power to change the existing institution-environment to a certain extent and recreate the grassroots governance structure by concealing information and collective indebtedness.