Institutional obstacles and opportunities for policy entrepreneurship in cross-border environmental management: a case study in China’s Greater Pearl River Delta region
{"title":"Institutional obstacles and opportunities for policy entrepreneurship in cross-border environmental management: a case study in China’s Greater Pearl River Delta region","authors":"Vivian H. Y. Chu, Anna Ka-yin Lee","doi":"10.1080/10225706.2018.1563797","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Air pollution was placed very low on China's policy agenda in the 1990s. Sharing the PRD's Southern border, Hong Kong became increasingly concerned with the pollution originating from their rapidly developing neighbors. This paper offers an explanatory study for the implementation of a trans-boundary air quality monitoring network in 2005 which was, in many ways, considered a breakthrough in environmental cooperation in this region. Empirical evidence demonstrates that extended efforts from a Hong Kong official had eventually triggered the Guangdong provincial government and the Hong Kong government to undertake a range of collaborative measures to improve regional air quality, including the establishment of the Pearl River Delta regional air quality monitoring network in 2005. Building upon the concept of “policy entrepreneurship,” this study discovers that the policy entrepreneur's political rank endowed him with direct access to the formal cross-border institution, through which he was able to build a close professional relationship with his mainland counterparts and enables him to be a transfer agent. This case illustrates that state actors are well-placed in this region's trans-boundary platforms to initiate the transfer of policy innovations to neighboring governments, which prompts the formulation of cooperative projects. Nonetheless, this paper also cautions that effective cross-border collaboration is still largely dependent upon the contextual framework of the authoritarian governance regime whereby the interactions between policymakers and implementers are fundamentally shaped by institutional design and incentives.","PeriodicalId":44260,"journal":{"name":"Asian Geographer","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8000,"publicationDate":"2019-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10225706.2018.1563797","citationCount":"2","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Asian Geographer","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10225706.2018.1563797","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"GEOGRAPHY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 2
Abstract
ABSTRACT Air pollution was placed very low on China's policy agenda in the 1990s. Sharing the PRD's Southern border, Hong Kong became increasingly concerned with the pollution originating from their rapidly developing neighbors. This paper offers an explanatory study for the implementation of a trans-boundary air quality monitoring network in 2005 which was, in many ways, considered a breakthrough in environmental cooperation in this region. Empirical evidence demonstrates that extended efforts from a Hong Kong official had eventually triggered the Guangdong provincial government and the Hong Kong government to undertake a range of collaborative measures to improve regional air quality, including the establishment of the Pearl River Delta regional air quality monitoring network in 2005. Building upon the concept of “policy entrepreneurship,” this study discovers that the policy entrepreneur's political rank endowed him with direct access to the formal cross-border institution, through which he was able to build a close professional relationship with his mainland counterparts and enables him to be a transfer agent. This case illustrates that state actors are well-placed in this region's trans-boundary platforms to initiate the transfer of policy innovations to neighboring governments, which prompts the formulation of cooperative projects. Nonetheless, this paper also cautions that effective cross-border collaboration is still largely dependent upon the contextual framework of the authoritarian governance regime whereby the interactions between policymakers and implementers are fundamentally shaped by institutional design and incentives.
期刊介绍:
Asian Geographer disseminates knowledge about geographical problems and issues focusing on Asia and the Pacific Rim. Papers dealing with other regions should have a linkage to Asia and the Pacific Rim. Original and timely articles dealing with any field of physical or human geographical inquiries and methodologies will be considered for publication. We welcome, for example, submissions on people-environment interactions, urban and regional development, transport and large infrastructure, migration, natural disasters and their management, environment and energy issues. While the focus of the journal is placed on original research articles, review papers as well as viewpoints and research notes under the category of “Asian Geography in Brief” are also considered. Review papers should critically and constructively analyse the current state of understanding on geographical and planning topics in Asia. The ‘Asian Geography in Brief’ section welcomes submissions of applied geographical and planning research about Asia. The section aims to showcase (1) the diverse geography and planning of Asia; and (2) the diverse geographical and planning research about Asia. The journal will also publish special issues on particular themes or areas. Book reviews can be included from time to time.