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What Makes the River Chief System in China Viable? Examples from the Huaihe River Basin

Author

Listed:
  • Zihao Zhang

    (School of Law, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China)

  • Chao Xiong

    (School of Law, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China)

  • Yu Yang

    (School of Law, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China)

  • Chunyan Liang

    (School of Law, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China)

  • Shaoping Jiang

    (School of Humanities and Law, Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, Hangzhou 311300, China)

Abstract

Eco-environmental issues are a complex problem for the development of contemporary China, among which river water pollution control is one of the most challenging issues. In the continuous pursuit of river pollution control, the Chinese government has adopted the river chief system (RCS) model to appoint government officials as river chiefs of each section. This review first analyzes the water quality data of the Huaihe River basin over the past five years using Origin 2021. A violin plot shows that the water quality of the Huaihe River basin improved, and COD Mn and NH 3- N were significantly reduced. Secondly, this review analyzes the effectiveness of the river chief system according to the “embeddedness theory”, which argues that the river chief system has been integrated into the traditional hierarchy of environmental governance in China through institutional embeddedness to activate the vitality of the subject’s control and spatial embeddedness to eliminate fragmented watershed governance and promote governance capacity. Practical suggestions and initiatives were proposed based on the existing RCS, including the rule of law construction, regional collaborative management, and public participation to restore the local ecology.

Suggested Citation

  • Zihao Zhang & Chao Xiong & Yu Yang & Chunyan Liang & Shaoping Jiang, 2022. "What Makes the River Chief System in China Viable? Examples from the Huaihe River Basin," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-24, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:10:p:6329-:d:821573
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Chen, Zhao & Kahn, Matthew E. & Liu, Yu & Wang, Zhi, 2018. "The consequences of spatially differentiated water pollution regulation in China," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 468-485.
    2. 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.
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    Cited by:

    1. Da Gao & Chang Liu & Xinyan Wei & Yang Liu, 2023. "Can River Chief System Policy Improve Enterprises’ Energy Efficiency? Evidence from China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-17, February.
    2. Changlin Ji & Yuwei Feng, 2025. "RETRACTED ARTICLE: Evaluating the Innovation-Boosting Potential of Low-Carbon Pilot Policies: A Multi-Subject Co-Governance Perspective," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 16(2), pages 6033-6072, June.
    3. Xuelan Li & Jiyu Jiang & Javier Cifuentes-Faura, 2023. "Coordinated Development and Sustainability of the Agriculture, Climate and Society System in China: Based on the PLE Analysis Framework," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-19, March.

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