Environmental governance in China: Interactions between the state and “nonstate actors”

Abstract

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.

Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development in China: Current Status and Future Perspectives

“…China's cultural and institutional environment decides that voluntary engagement of CSR, especially when it comes to environmental protection, is difficult. Governmental regulation and relevant environmental law have been the main reasons that Chinese businesses pay attention to their impact on the environment [76]. The series of laws and regulations mentioned earlier have helped mitigate businesses' irresponsible actions towards the environment.…”

Network Analysis of Actors and Policy Keywords for Sustainable Environmental Governance: Focusing on Chinese Environmental Policy

“…In terms of environmental governance, this reflects the fact that the authority wielded by the private sectors and environmental NGOs is still insignificant when compared with the power of the central government or that they remain passive about raising social issues. Another contributor is that various participants in China's environmental policy are not completely free from government and agencies in financial matters [18].…”

“…Studies in recent years have started reflecting the trend of approaching environmental issues from the perspective of environmental governance, which explores private participation areas of China's environmental issues. The studies on analyzing the evolution of environmental NGOs in China by using the political process model [47]; exploring the applicability of the global standard to China by analyzing the relationship between China's domestic environment governance and global governance [17,48]; and conducting structural analysis and observing the relationship among China's policymaking system, executive system, and actors [18,26,45] are exemplary.…”

Back to the future: Can Chinese doubling down and American muddling through fulfill 21st century needs for environmental governance?

“…While there are thousands of legally registered environmental NGOs, they generally have limited resources and confine their activities to local concerns. Technically, hundreds possess legal status to qualify as plaintiffs under the law, yet only a few have become active in bringing cases (Guttman et al, ). Subsequently, the 2017 revision of the Civil Litigation Law and Administrative Litigation Law granted the procuratorate the power to engage in public interest litigation.…”

“…How will these competing forces play out in the coming years? (Guttman et al, 2018). Subsequently, the 2017 revision of the Civil Litigation Law and Administrative Litigation Law granted the procuratorate the power to engage in public interest litigation.…”