Implementation and Participation in China's Local Environmental Politics: Challenges and Innovations

With its recently published 12th Five-Year Plan (FYP, 2011–2015) China's leaders have set ambitious national environmental targets and goals for developing a more sustainable economy and society. Past records, however, show that ambitious goals and regulations too often fail due to shortcomings in local implementation and civil society participation. At the sub-national level, economic, political, and social interests continue to dictate the political agenda and the participation of non-state actors remains limited. This article analyses these implementation and participation gaps and reviews recent innovations and experiments to address these gaps in local environmental politics in China. Although many ongoing experiments and new institutional arrangements can be identified, these projects and initiatives remain limited in scope and geographical spread. Further advances in policy enforcement and in opening up policy design to citizens and other non-state actors at the local level are needed in order to turn the article ambitions of the 12th FYP into reality.     

环保约谈对政策执行“中梗阻”的疏通机制研究:以临沂市为例

"约谈"是一种政策执行的新机制,旨在通过告诫谈话、指出相关问题、提出整改要求并督促整改到位来疏通政策执行的"中梗阻"。与一般"硬性"的法律行为不同,约谈作为一种自上而下的制度安排,是政府的"柔性"行政行为,以行政级别较高的"条"对行政级别较低的"块"进行诫勉和警示为主。本文以《环境保护部约谈暂行办法》为参照,阐释了环保约谈的内涵、优势、适用条件以及结构与流程,并以环保约谈后临沂市的治霾行动为案例,分析了环保约谈的作用机制,即通过增强上级环境部门的行政权威、弱化同级政府的非法干预,调整政绩考核的激励结构、重塑政府的责任体系,增强社会认同、塑造政策执行的良好环境等方式疏通了政策执行的"中梗阻",使环保政策得到有效落实。最后,本文在肯定环保约谈积极效果的同时,也指出了其在法律依据、科学与民主决策机制、激励性制度设计以及不同制度间的衔接等方面存在的不足。     

Local Sustainable Development: Land-use Planning's Contribution to Modern Local Government

This paper assesses the contribution of land-use planning to the objectives of local sustainable development in some of the UK's most urbanized areas. Sustainable development provides the context within which local planning policies are now being prepared, and can be seen to be a potentially important aspect of central government's proposals for modernizing local government. Using the results from a comprehensive survey of development plans in metropolitan authorities, the paper assesses both the strengths and the weaknesses of land-use planning in terms of sustainable development and speculates upon the lessons they may offer to the government's more recent proposals on modernizing local government.     

中国绿色消费的政策和实践研究

我国政府高度重视绿色消费,绿色消费政策框架的雏形已初步显现。随着各级政府相关政策的出台,对政策系统梳理,以及对政策的落实情况和实施效果进行评估具有重要的学术价值和现实意义。基于层次梳理法,从中央政策、国务院政策和部门政策三个“战略层面”,以及部门政策中具备“经济类”和“信息化工具类”属性的两个“目标层面”,结合政策的功能作用和市场认可程度将部门政策细分到“实施层面”,梳理得出我国绿色消费政策框架。通过分析我国绿色消费政策的分布情况和特点,对绿色消费政策与国家统计局的居民消费支出分类进行对比分析。同时,本文对我国已经实施的各类政策效果进行评估,分析目前我国绿色消费政策和实践面临的挑战,提出相关政策建议。     

京津冀及周边地区清洁取暖补贴政策现状、问题与对策

京津冀及周边地区以燃煤为主的农户冬季采暖方式是影响区域大气环境质量的重要原因之一,大规模推进清洁取暖改造是优化区域能源结构、改善大气环境质量的重要举措.本文以京津冀大气污染传输通道城市("2+26"城市)为重点,全面梳理了京津冀及周边地区清洁取暖政策特别是补贴政策的实施情况和主要问题,对近期区域清洁取暖改造补贴投资进行测算,提出未来农村清洁取暖补贴政策的优化建议.结果表明,在现行补贴标准下,补贴资金投入额的差异主要来源于清洁取暖技术路径及农居建筑节能性能的差异,使用热泵类设备并进行建筑节能改造对降低补贴资金投入有积极影响;中央财政的清洁取暖试点城市奖补资金只能覆盖2019年改造补贴所需投资总额的20%左右,地方政府财政压力巨大.未来京津冀及周边地区农村清洁取暖补贴政策应继续充分发挥中央财政支持作用,充分利用市场建立多元化投融资机制,已大规模推进农村清洁取暖改造并已制定清洁取暖补贴政策的地区应继续制定新的补贴政策,尚未大规模改造的地区建议通过试点补贴方式逐步引导推广,清洁取暖补贴标准的制定和调整应在农户可接受、政府可承担的前提下逐步实现退坡.     

Environmental culture change in local government: a practised perspective from the international council for local environmental initiatives—Australia/New Zealand>

Environmental culture change, a seemingly intangible concept, is fast becoming an important indicator of success for organisations delivering sustainable development around the globe. This article provides an analysis of local government's ability to affect culture change within its organisations and communities, and the role the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives—Australia/New Zealand (ICLEI-A/NZ) has in assisting local government with this process. While the impact ICLEI-A/NZ has had on the culture change movement is difficult to define, the methodologies adopted by the organisation have been designed to institutionalise the integration of environmental decision-making concepts and practices in local government. This article discusses the degree to which ICLEI-A/NZ's capacity-building campaigns and other performance-focused initiatives have instilled core environmental values in local government.     

新闻媒体环保监督视角下环境污染治理演化博弈

为督促政府严格履行环境监管职责,应引入新闻媒体,与政府、企业共同参与污染治理。本文使用演化博弈理论通过构建博弈支付矩阵,研究不同情形下政府与企业间、新闻媒体与政府间的演化稳定策略（ESS）,探究新闻媒体监督对环境污染治理的影响,并通过数值算例对演化结果进行验证。演化过程及数值仿真结果表明：①对企业、政府而言,当某种策略的期望利润始终更大时,其决策过程将不受另一方与新闻媒体策略的影响,且此时存在ESS;②新闻媒体进行环保监督一定程度上能促进企业和政府组成的系统向优良状态演化,但新闻媒体是否进行环保监督受政府对环境监管程度的影响,取决于报道成本和预期收益的大小;③政府的作用举足轻重,增大单位环境税额和处罚力度能促使企业合法减排,而对其不严格监管可能使环境质量恶化。因此,为促进环境质量改善,需不断推动环保理念传播,设法降低企业减排成本和政府监管成本,扩大新闻媒体监督职责范围,提高其监督的主动性,并对政府增加生态环境保护维度考核。     

环境管理的信息化视角——美国环境信息生命周期模型研究

有效、可靠的数据和信息是环境管理的基础和主线,是政府部门确定环境管理目标、衡量进展以及同所有利益相关方共享信息的基础。美国环保局(EPA)从整体视角和跨学科观点提出环境信息生命周期模型,能够更好地理解环境信息的生产者、管理者、提供者和使用者等不同角色的作用。本文介绍了环境信息生命周期模型的各环节和要素,包括政策、规划和项目,数据采集和管理,信息交换和共享,信息管理,发现、获取信息,理解、使用信息,用户/公众反馈等,用于评估环境管理业务的数据和信息需求,帮助提高数据质量,增强公众获取环境信息的能力。环保部门需要关注数据质量的不确定性以及不同部门之间缺乏信息共享的问题,将环境信息生命周期的方法融入中国的环境管理和信息化建设,将提高环境数据的质量和政府透明度。本文针对中国的环保信息化建设提出了若干政策建议。     

Planning for Water Quality: Implementation of the NPDES Phase II Stormwater Program in California and Kansas

In the United States, the federal government is increasingly relying on local governments to implement policies that address the nation's lingering environmental problems. Yet, little is known about the factors that influence local level implementation of a federal mandate. This paper explores local government response to the NPDES Phase II Stormwater Program in California and Kansas by investigating local conditions, perceptions of the federal program, and implementer characteristics. The study found that fiscal resources, a well-educated public, positive perceptions of the federal policy, and co-operative planning efforts lead to better compliance with the mandate and a higher quality response.     

国家“十四五”环境经济政策改革路线图

"十三五"时期环境经济政策对建立我国生态文明建设长效机制发挥了重要作用,"十四五"时期需要通过进一步深化环境经济政策改革与创新以适应新时代生态文明建设需要。本文研究提出了我国"十四五"时期环境经济政策改革思路、框架与重点,认为我国"十四五"时期环境经济政策改革要深入贯彻习近平生态文明思想,系统考虑政策改革创新面临的新形势和新要求,推进建立"两山"转化和环境质量达标的长效激励机制,突出环境质量持续改善激励、突出经济过程全链条调控,突出政策手段的系统优化与协同增效,突出政策执行能力保障。继续推进生态环境财政制度改革,深化绿色价格税费机制创新,推进建立多元化、市场化生态补偿制度,健全生态环境权益交易机制,完善绿色金融体系,并同步推进完善生态环境价值核算、环境信息公开和信用体系、资源环境名录、政策绩效评估等政策实施配套能力建设,构建全面支撑生态文明建设的环境经济政策体系,推进环境治理体系和治理能力现代化。     

中国化工产业园区化的驱动机制:基于社会-生态系统框架下的博弈论分析

化工产业园区化是政府合理规范化工园区且将化工园区外化工生产企业关停并搬迁至化工园区内的产业集聚化,是解决目前中国化工产业安全事故频发、环境污染严重等问题,推进化工产业转型升级的重要政策之一。中国化工产业园区化的社会—生态系统框架刻画了化工园区、化工产品、化工园区管委会、企业和公众四个核心子系统的关联,在此基础上,中国化工产业园区化的博弈模型将参与者简化为政府(包括化工园区管委会)、企业(化工生产企业)和公众(化工生产企业现址影响半径内的居民群体),并分别构建了政府与企业间的博弈模型与公众参与下的政府与企业间的博弈模型。根据模型推论,此两类情景博弈的纳什均衡都可以为(政府行政政策,企业按期搬迁入园)或(政府经济政策,企业按期搬迁入园)。中国化工产业园区化的驱动机制,是在作为外在驱动主体的政府和公众的引导和监督下,作为内在驱动主体的化工生产企业,在各驱动因素的协同作用下,实现其"按期搬迁入园"的机制。进而得出化工生产企业与化工园区"按期匹配搬迁入园"、提升化工园区公共服务能力、差异化地一企一策及建立公众和企业与政府的三方对话机制的四点政策建议。     

一个政府—企业双层优化环境治理模型

构建以政府为主导、企业为主体的环境治理体系，落实企业环境治理主体责任是我国的重大战略任务。目前地方政府环境监管亟待改善，需要加强企业生产规制，基于"污染者付费"原则促使"三废"达标排放。本研究抓住政府和企业两大主体，建立以政府为上层、企业为下层的双层优化环境治理模型，确定上层-下层目标函数及约束条件，研究地方政府环境奖罚政策与企业利润及环境行为的关联性，提出模型"乐观最优解"与"悲观最优解"及地方政府奖惩机制最优解。该模型可反映地方政府与企业的博弈过程，为寻求合理的污染奖惩方式和税费比例，促使企业在自身利润最大化的同时积极治理"三废"污染，平衡经济效益和社会效益，为企业长期粗放式生产排污严重、地方政府环境监管有待加强、西北生态安全屏障和黄河流域健康发展受到严重威胁的宁蒙沿黄地带及类似地区环境管理实践提供参考。     

PACE2016中国环境治理国际研讨会综述

PACE2016中国环境治理国际研讨会就中国环境政府治理、环境市场治理、环境社会治理以及环境治理结构展开了深入研讨并达成以下共识:大国模式下的环境政府治理面临着突出的"污染避难所效应"、"公平与效率的两难"和"多层次治理体系"等问题;不成熟市场经济条件下环境市场治理必然面临"要不要走环境治理市场化之路"的疑虑,相关研究表明市场手段作为有效的环境治理方式正在逐渐地打消此等疑虑;中国环境治理最主要的短板在于社会治理,提高公众参与度的主要挑战在于改变地方政府的态度,然而社会企业家是环境社会治理的希望;多元环境治理结构是中国环境治理的必然选择,政府引领、企业自觉、公众参与的制衡机制是关键。     

Old problems and new dilemmas: the conundrum of environmental management reform in China

ABSTRACT

Underpinning China’s severe and continuing environmental degradation is a stubborn gap between environmental regulation and regulatory enforcement at the local level. In the past, scholars have sought explanations for the causes of this implementation gap by interviewing frontline environmental officials. Due to the fact that the self-perception data used in most of those existing studies were gathered prior to 2012, the possible factors contributing to the compromised effectiveness of local environmental enforcement from 2012 onward remain largely unknown. This empirical weakness should not be overlooked, as the prevailing institutions governing China’s local environmental management practices have been experiencing many frame-breaking transformations since 2012. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with leaders of environmental law enforcement teams in all administrative districts of Guangzhou in 2017, this paper not only summarizes pervasive elements which negatively impact the current effectiveness of environmental regulatory efforts, but also provides qualitative evidence and theoretical accounts for three enforcement dilemmas stemming from reform measures taken by the central government.     

The role of perceived government style in the facilitation of self-determined and non self-determined motivation for pro-environmental behavior

Most North Americans are concerned about the environment and feel that responsibility for its protection lies primarily with government; however, no research to date has examined the influence of the government's approach toward environmental regulation on the motivation of individual citizens. According to self-determination theory, social contexts that support one's autonomy should facilitate self-determined motivation and social contexts that thwart autonomy should lead to non self-determined motivation and a sense of apathy or amotivation. In this study (n = 283), we examined the influence of perceptions of the government's approach toward environmental regulation on motivation toward the environment and frequency of self-reported pro-environmental behavior (PEB). Using structural equation modeling, we tested the hypothesis that frequency of PEB is predicted by motivation toward the environment and that motivation is predicted by the extent to which individuals perceive the government to be autonomy-supportive versus controlling in the implementation of environmental policies. The analysis revealed that perception of government autonomy-support contributed positively to autonomous motivation and negatively to amotivation, while perception of government control was positively related to both controlled motivation and amotivation. As predicted, autonomous motivation was positively, and amotivation was negatively, associated with frequency of PEB.     

论政府生态环境损害赔偿责任的承担

政府承担生态环境损害赔偿责任的理论基础是政府对环境质量负责,政府对环境质量负责的实质是政府作为公共环境的管理者和控制者对维护公共环境利益所负担的安全保障义务。根据政府的环境安全保障义务,政府承担生态环境损害赔偿责任应以过错推定为归责原则,责任构成的核心是政府负有其职责范围内特定的环境安全保障义务,因未尽环境安全保障义务间接引发生态环境损害。由于政府未尽环境安全保障义务的行为并非直接也并不必然导致生态环境损害,所以政府一般仅根据自身行为的可责性及其程度对生态环境损害承担补充性的赔偿责任,只有在特殊情况下才承担连带赔偿责任,在政府不负有特定环境安全保障义务的情况下政府不承担赔偿责任。     

经济增长目标、融资约束与污染企业绿色技术创新

经济增长目标作为中国政府宏观经济管理的一个重要手段,不仅会影响宏观经济绩效,还会显著影响微观经济主体的行为和绩效。本研究借助中国2004—2019年沪深A股上市污染企业数据,采用固定效应模型,从绿色技术创新视角考察了经济增长目标对微观企业的影响效应,并检验了融资约束在经济增长目标与污染企业绿色技术创新活动之间的中介效应。结果显示,经济增长目标会加剧融资约束,进而抑制企业绿色技术创新。同时,在“硬约束”情形、重污染企业和非国有企业中,经济增长目标对企业绿色技术创新的抑制效应更显著,而环境目标会弱化这种负向作用。本文丰富了经济增长目标影响微观企业绩效的相关研究,并为地方政府科学设定经济增长目标、更好平衡经济增长目标与环境目标之间关系以及促进污染企业绿色转型升级提供了理论依据和政策参考。     

污染场地风险管控环境经济政策体系：国外经验与本土实践

快速城市化和工业化给我国带来了大量的场地污染问题,污染场地修复和风险管控成为国土资源可持续利用的重要领域,创新土壤污染防治经济政策,充分发挥市场调节作用是土壤污染防治的内在要求,是破解土壤生态环境问题、推进土壤污染防治管理转型的重要支撑。本文从经济政策的体系、投融资模式与机制等方面展开,对美国、德国、荷兰等发达国家的污染场地风险管控环境经济政策进行了梳理分析,总结其可借鉴的成功经验;介绍了我国污染场地风险管控环境经济政策实施现状,最终从完善调控体系、明晰权责归属、拓宽资金来源、规范资金运营、丰富投融资模式、探索费用效益分析机制等方面提出我国污染场地风险管控环境经济政策体系的改进建议。     

The use of the ecological footprint in local politics and administration: results and implications from Norway

Our experiences calculating a local ecological footprint of Oslo form the basis for a discussion of key methodological aspects supporting the use of local sustainability indicators. The footprint's strength is its ability to communicate simply the complexity of global environmental challenges. Initially developed for measuring per capita consumption at the national level, the footprint has been adopted at local and regional levels. We argue for adjustments in the footprint methodology when shifting from a national to a local policy context, to ensure the indicator's applicability in local politics and administration. First, the analysis should be limited to consumption aspects relevant to the local environmental policy agenda. Second, the analysis should integrate as much genuine local data as possible. We argue also that a standardised methodology based on the national footprint approach, with the main purpose of international benchmarking of cities, cannot but reduce the indicator's usefulness for administrative/political guidance, due to the methodology's lack of transparency and inability to identify local variations.     

Assessment practices in the policy and politics cycles: a contribution to reflexive governance for sustainable development?

ABSTRACT

This article examines systematic assessment practices linked to sustainable development policies. We consider five types of assessment—monitoring, policy evaluation, formal audit, peer review, and specialist reporting—and explore their fate in the policy and electoral politics cycles. In contrast to traditional views of the policy cycle, we note that systematic assessments provide complementary feedback around the entire policy cycle. However, despite this omnipresence, their policy relevance is usually severely limited, inter alia because the policy cycle captures only parts of the political reality. A major concern for politicians (but not necessarily for policy or governance scholars) that goes far beyond the formulation and implementation of policies is the broader cycle of electoral politics that determines the state's political personnel as well as government priorities. Here, we highlight that the findings of systematic assessments are often lost in a cacophony of voices to which politicians are more carefully attuned, such as media responses and opinion polls, implying that scientific evidence is simply ‘overwritten’ with other kinds of evidence representing alternative rationalities and priorities. Despite numerous shortcomings, the true value of systematic assessment practices lies in their potential to furnish ammunition to state and non-state actors interested in securing change.