Analyzing the National Park policymaking process in China from a multiple streams perspective: Domination by the political stream and policy entrepreneurs

Abstract

To fully understand the motivations behind the biodiversity conservation policy in a one-party state, this paper uses the multiple streams framework as a theoretical and through the lens of policy entrepreneurs, to furnish a renewed look at the policymaking process of conservation policy in China. For this purpose, we conducted a qualitative study based on 21 semi-structured interviews with key actors in the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park and government documents from 2019 to 2022. This study revealed that policy entrepreneurs promote policy initiatives by building coalitions with higher-level bureaucrats and seizing critical moments to facilitate the convergence of three streams. In the process, the political stream played a dominant role in the multiple stream framework and public participation was post-positive, thus, we propose a modified multiple streams framework to better understand the policy process in a one-party state. This study provides new perspectives to understand the policy process in China and has important implications for biodiversity policymaking under a one-party state.