Rights statement: This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Journal of Environmental Management. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Journal of Environmental Management, 220, 2018 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.04.104
Accepted author manuscript, 889 KB, PDF document
Available under license: CC BY-NC-ND
Final published version
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Environmental governance in China
T2 - Interactions between the state and “nonstate actors”
AU - Guttman, Dan
AU - Young, Oran
AU - Jing, Yijia
AU - Bramble, Barbara
AU - Bu, Maoliang
AU - Chen, Carmen
AU - Furst, Kathinka
AU - Hu, Tao
AU - Li, Yifei
AU - Logan, Kate
AU - Liu, Lingxuan
AU - Price, Lydia
AU - Spencer, Michael
AU - Suh, Sangwon
AU - Sun, Xiaopu
AU - Tan, Bowen
AU - Wang, Harold
AU - Wang, Xin
AU - Zhang, Juan
AU - Zhang, Xinxin
AU - Zeidan, Rodrigo
N1 - This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Journal of Environmental Management. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Journal of Environmental Management, 20, 2018 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.04.104
PY - 2018/8/15
Y1 - 2018/8/15
N2 - In the West, limited government capacity to solve environmental problems has triggered the rise of a variety of “nonstate actors” to supplement government efforts or provide alternative mechanisms for addressing environmental issues. How does this development - along with our efforts to understand it - map onto environmental governance processes in China? China's efforts to address environmental issues reflect institutionalized governance processes that differ from parallel western processes in ways that have major consequences for domestic environmental governance practices and the governance of China “going abroad.” China's governance processes blur the distinction between the state and other actors; the “shadow of the state” is a major factor in all efforts to address environmental issues. The space occupied by nonstate actors in western systems is occupied by shiye danwei (“public service units”), she hui tuanti (“social associations”) and e-platforms, all of which have close links to the state. Meanwhile, international NGOs and multinational corporations are also significant players in China. As a result, the mechanisms of influence that produce effects in China differ in important ways from mechanisms familiar from the western experience. This conclusion has far-reaching implications for those seeking to address global environmental concerns, given the importance of China's growing economy and burgeoning network of trade relationships.
AB - In the West, limited government capacity to solve environmental problems has triggered the rise of a variety of “nonstate actors” to supplement government efforts or provide alternative mechanisms for addressing environmental issues. How does this development - along with our efforts to understand it - map onto environmental governance processes in China? China's efforts to address environmental issues reflect institutionalized governance processes that differ from parallel western processes in ways that have major consequences for domestic environmental governance practices and the governance of China “going abroad.” China's governance processes blur the distinction between the state and other actors; the “shadow of the state” is a major factor in all efforts to address environmental issues. The space occupied by nonstate actors in western systems is occupied by shiye danwei (“public service units”), she hui tuanti (“social associations”) and e-platforms, all of which have close links to the state. Meanwhile, international NGOs and multinational corporations are also significant players in China. As a result, the mechanisms of influence that produce effects in China differ in important ways from mechanisms familiar from the western experience. This conclusion has far-reaching implications for those seeking to address global environmental concerns, given the importance of China's growing economy and burgeoning network of trade relationships.
KW - Nonstate actors
KW - Environmental governance
KW - she hui tuanti (“social group”)
KW - shi ye danwei (“public service unit”)
KW - Belt and Road initiative
U2 - 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.04.104
DO - 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.04.104
M3 - Journal article
VL - 220
SP - 126
EP - 135
JO - Journal of Environmental Management
JF - Journal of Environmental Management
SN - 0301-4797
ER -