Abstract: The primary-level assessment mechanism is an important component of China’s cadre management system, carrying the policy mission of selecting outstanding primary-level officials and promoting primary-level governance. This paper, based on an integrated analysis of “value-system-action”, finds that the mechanism has experienced five stages: the initial stage (1921-1948), the transitional stage (1949-1977), the adjustment stage (1978-2001), the mature stage (2002-2011), and the deepening stage (2012-present). The deep structure that lies behind includes the “value logic” of putting the people first and pursuing duty and responsibility, the “historical logic” required by the transformation of primary-level society and governance, the “theoretical logic” nurtured by government performance and responsibility theory, and the “practical logic” demanded by primary-level political power and cause development. To the future, the assessment mechanism should adhere to the value orientation that puts the people first, the function positioning that places balanced emphasis on incentives and constraints, the operational principle that takes clear three-dimensional evaluation of performance, and the development orientation that focuses on dynamic collaborative adjustment.

Key words: primary-level assessment mechanism, primary-level governance, mechanism transformation, government performance management