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SoSe 21: Environmental governance in China

Maria Bondes

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As a downside of China’s rapid economic development, China is facing a severe environmental crisis that also challenges the legitimacy of the ruling Chinese Communist party. Since coming to power in 2013, President Xi Jinping has intensified the party-state’s efforts to fight environmental degradation and steer the country’s development into a more sustainable direction. On the international stage, China has emerged as an important player in global environmental governance. Efforts to improve the state of China’s environment are also coming from an increasingly complex set of nonstate actors – including environmental organizations, experts and lawyers, but also local communities standing up for their right to a clean and healthy living environment. This course introduces students to the main concepts and most recent empirical developments in Chinese environmental governance. Students will gain a nuanced understanding of the environmental challenges facing the country and the efforts taken by both state and nonstate actors to solve China’s environmental crisis. By studying these questions, students will also gain a deeper understanding of the broader structures and processes underlying Chinese policy-making and the dynamics of state-society relations in China. The course will approach these issues through weekly readings, in-class group exercises and discussion rounds. All course materials will be in English, the class language will be German. close