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Rethinking Environmental Bureaucracies in River Chiefs System (RCS) in China: A Critical Literature Study

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  • Qidong Huang

    (Department of Sociology, School of Public Administration, Hohai University, Nanjing 211100, China)

  • Jiajun Xu

    (Department of Sociology, School of Public Administration, Hohai University, Nanjing 211100, China)

Abstract

Efforts to understand the political complexities of water governance must include critical hierarchical or bureaucratical perspectives. The River Chiefs System, China’s national mechanism which has evolved from local attempts, values more political control than governance efficiency. Water governance, which is regarded as a political task, is allocated from river chiefs at higher levels to lower levels. The River Chiefs System stipulates that local river chiefs fully mobilize and integrate various technical and administrative forces to achieve environmental goals. However, the strengthening of local authority enables local river chiefs to combat or eliminate state power. Although public involvement in the River Chiefs System is encouraged to some extent, “government-dependent” public participation hardly ensures real public involvement and supervision.

Suggested Citation

  • Qidong Huang & Jiajun Xu, 2019. "Rethinking Environmental Bureaucracies in River Chiefs System (RCS) in China: A Critical Literature Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-13, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:6:p:1608-:d:214597
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Huijie Li & Ru Jia & Ortwin Renn & Tianjiao Xu, 2022. "Managing Risks Arising from Conservation Complexities of Forests: Insights from China’s “Chief Scheme” Practice," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-13, April.
    2. Yunxiang Zhang & Shichen Wang, 2021. "How does policy innovation diffuse among Chinese local governments? A qualitative comparative analysis of River Chief Innovation," Public Administration & Development, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 41(1), pages 34-47, February.
    3. Justin Joseph & Joe Thomas Karackattu, 2022. "State actions and the environment: examining the concept of ecological security in China," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(11), pages 13057-13082, November.
    4. Yinghong Li & Jiaxin Tong & Longfei Wang, 2020. "Full Implementation of the River Chief System in China: Outcome and Weakness," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-16, May.
    5. He Chang & Huimin Liu & Shuai Jin, 2023. "Design of a river chief incentive mechanism based on blockchain: A principal–agent model," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 44(3), pages 1534-1546, April.

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