China’s Environmental and Climate Governance

3 units

This graduate seminar offers a comprehensive examination of China’s environmental and climate governance, with particular emphasis on developments since the early 2000s. As the world’s most populous country and a leading global emitter, China’s trajectory in environmental and climate policy has profound implications both domestically and internationally. While rapid industrialization and urbanization have intensified environmental degradation, China has simultaneously emerged as a key actor in global climate negotiations and sustainable development efforts. This course samples both classic foundational texts and cutting-edge, datadriven research to understand the evolving dynamics of environmental and climate governance in China. Special attention will be paid to issues of implementation, state capacity, policy experimentation, selective enforcement, and principal-agent dynamics within authoritarian governance structures.