Getting their voices heard : Three cases of public participation in environmental protection in China

Research output: Conference PapersRGC 32 - Refereed conference paper (without host publication)peer-review

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Author(s)

Detail(s)

Original languageEnglish
Publication statusPublished - 18 Mar 2011

Conference

TitleLeft Forum
PlaceUnited States
Period18 - 20 March 2011

Abstract

Our paper, by comparing three cases of environmental activism in China, answers the following three questions about public participation in environment protection in China: (1) what are the drivers for public participation, (2) who are the agents leading the participation, and (3) whether existing laws facilitate public participation. We find heightened public awareness of environmental degradation and exacerbating anxieties over health and property values drive people to fight for more political space to influence decisions that have an impact on the environment. Chinese laws, despite their promises in text, fail to provide a meaningful institutional framework to allow public participation, even in the area of environmental protection. The Chinese government mainly passively responds to public demands on an ad hoc basis, with no institutional commitment for engaging the public on environmental issues. This is unfortunate, because public policies without adequate public input are doomed to be clouded by illegitimacy.

Citation Format(s)

Getting their voices heard: Three cases of public participation in environmental protection in China. / LI, Wanxin; Liu, Jieyan; Li, Duoduo.
2011. Paper presented at Left Forum, United States.

Research output: Conference PapersRGC 32 - Refereed conference paper (without host publication)peer-review