When Top-down Meets Bottom-up: Understanding the Logic and Dynamics of Responsive Authoritarianism, based on Central Environmental Inspection in China

Abstract:Whether China can address its environmental problems remains a heated debate in the literature. Illustrated with a case of industrial pollution control in Guangzhou municipality, this article examines how China under the Xi Jinping administration enhances regulatory enforcement by adopting an institution of Central Environmental Inspection (CEI). The essence of CEI represents a new enforcement mechanism of responsive authoritarianism, which combines and integrates national authority embedded within the role of the Party and political responsibility with citizen engagement in the process of policy implementation and thus ensures that local governments effectively fulfil their environmental responsibility. This suggests that although China’s Party-state system remains basically unchanged, the specific institutions, mechanisms and the roles of participants have undergone substantial change, making the system more responsive to societal demands.